


Inaction's and Consequences

by mandzipop



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Blood Kink, Blood Sharing, Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Magic, Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Roleplay, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-23 08:38:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 63
Words: 357,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13783800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandzipop/pseuds/mandzipop
Summary: Starts off in S4 as close to show canon but without the sire bond. The changes are initially small, but gather pace as the domino effect kicks in. Eventually the story veers away from canon. Some mythology tweaks are in place to suit my story. How does the lack of sire bond affect the course of Damon and Elena's relationship? Will Stefan ever come to terms with Elena leaving him for his brother? A story of love, lies, passion, duplicity, jealousy with a few twists.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story is set from Elena's perspective, between Memorial and My Brother's Keeper but written without the sire bond. I've tried to keep it as close to the show plot with some minor changes (some to make it easier to write). There are also some larger changes as Elena does not do certain things because even though Damon still suggests them she isn't sired to him. Obviously there will be long term consequences to her inactions. There's some bit of swearing to make it more realistic and I've upped the smut. After My Brothers Keeper the story is third person and multiple POV.

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

As she arrived at the Salvatore boarding house, Elena was quietly excited and a little apprehensive at the same time. Only just over an hour earlier, Stefan had given her a daylight ring, which was, as far as daylight rings go, quite pretty. In typical Stefan fashion, he had managed to make it feel like a romantic occasion by giving it to her as they sat on top of the roof of the boarding house just as the sun was beginning to rise. Unfortunately the romantic moment was soon over as it was now time for the business end of being a vampire to start, the part she had been dreading, which was learning how to hunt and feed. Elena had been adamant that she didn't want to hurt people and Stefan wholly supported her decision and thought that it would be a good idea to jump straight onto the bunny diet. Safe to say, Damon was totally against it and although it turned out that he was her sire, as far as Elena was concerned, she'd made her choice when she chose Stefan that night on Wickery Bridge, so Stefan, as her boyfriend got the winning vote. After that particular argument, which had led to Damon throwing a glass in the fire, Elena had stormed out, run home, got showered and changed, and had just arrived back to start her first hunting lesson with Stefan.Elena walked into the house quietly and could hear the boys talking up in Stefan's room. Deciding to try out her new vampire skills, she silently vamp-sped to the bottom of the Stefan's stairs, and quietly listened in to their conversation. Initially all Elena could hear were rustling noises combined with what sounded like drawers being opened and closed, Elena assumed that Stefan must be packing for their trip. Elena knew that they probably were unaware of her being there so she waited until they inevitably started to argue, which predictably didn't take long.

"You're making a big fucking mistake." Elena heard Damon warn Stefan.

"No, I'm not." Elena heard Stefan reply. "If I can get Elena used to animal blood right out the gate..."

"You're reaching." Damon interjected.

"...Maybe she'll be able to bypass all the things that we went through." Stefan continued, practically ignoring Damon.

"Delusional!" Damon sang.

"Maybe she actually has a shot at this." Stefan continued, although Elena wasn't sure whether Stefan was talking to Damon or just reassuring himself.

"Wrong. You're just wrong, Stefan." Damon argued back.

"She won't be able to handle it if she hurts someone, Damon." Stefan explained. "Her compassion is her Achilles heel and everything is magnified right now." Elena smiled at Stefan being so thoughtful.

"Then you better fucking hope she's not a fan of Bambi." Damon said, Elena nodded, he did have a point, she did find deer cute. However, Elena nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly heard a thud which sounded like metal piercing wood. She hoped the brothers weren't playing rough. "She needs human blood, Stefan, from the vein." Damon continued. Elena shook her head, she didn't want to hurt anyone. She wanted to pretend she was still human with a small dietary change.

"Oh, come on, you know what the fuck happens. You name me a vampire who didn't kill at least one person when they were new." Stefan argued back, Elena nodding her head in agreement, although she was slightly surprised by the language coming from the brothers. They'd never swore in front of her before, however now that she had super hearing, she was probably going to hear a lot of things she didn't normally get to hear.

"You name me one vampire who went on a bunny diet and didn't kill dozens." Damon retaliated, now that caught Elena's attention. Would going straight to the bunny diet cause problems?

Caroline started on human blood, and so did Stefan. Had anyone actually started on the bunny diet without ever touching the human stuff before? Would that turn her into a ripper? she wondered.

"If she kills someone, she will crumble. How much pain do you think she could take before she shuts off her humanity switch?" Stefan asked with a pained voice interrupting Elena's thoughts and turning them back to the conversation between the brothers.

"It happens to the best of us at least once. We get over it, Stefan. A hundred years or so." Damon said nonchalantly

"No, I think I'd like her to skip that part." Stefan insisted.

"She can't learn to control the blood lust, if she's never actually experienced the blood lust" a hint of frustration was beginning to penetrate Damon's voice, although to be fair, Elena knew there was a chance that Damon might be right. What she hadn't told Stefan is that if the bunny diet didn't work, she'd try blood bags, but because she didn't want to upset Stefan, she'd decided, should that situation arise she'd go to Caroline for help, or if desperate, she'd ask Damon, although she wasn't sure how willing he'd be to help right now as he was pissed off with her.

"What the fuck are you doing? Will you knock it off?" Stefan complained. Elena getting worried that they might have started to fight, so silently she made her way up the stairs to see what was happening.

"It's a cheat. It's like giving a kid a calculator before they know math." Damon argued.

"I said will you fucking stop it!" Stefan shouted as Stefan grabbed Damon's arm, however Damon pushed his arm off of him as they stared each other down. This was how Elena found them when she entered Stefan's room. Damon and Stefan were too busy staring at each other, to initially notice her.

"Woah, what's going on?" Elena asked, deciding to make her presence known.

"We're just having a little disagreement about process." Stefan explained as the brothers continued glaring at each other.

"You're still not on board with the animal plan." Elena asked Damon as Stefan stopped the stare down with Damon and got back to packing the bag.

"Nope. I say rip off the proverbial band-aid and let it bleed." Damon looked at Elena pointedly. "You're a vampire, Elena. Be a vampire."

"Ready to go?" Stefan asked ignoring Damon and confirming he'd finished packing walking over towards Elena. Elena nodded in reply.

"Vampires eat people!" Damon called out just as they both start to leave. Stefan and Elena stopped in the doorway and looked at him. "It's part of the natural food pyramid." he continued. "Trust me, you're going to be miserable." Stefan left Elena standing there for a second staring at Damon, contemplating his words before following Stefan downstairs and out to the woods.

"Hi." Elena said, gazing into Stefan's green eyes as they were tucked up under the blanket he'd brought. Although it was romantic and thoughtful, she tried to hide the fact that it felt a little awkward. Stefan had decided to make a romantic date out of their hunting trip, 'he's taking me out for dinner' was the rationale that had popped into Elena's head. He'd brought a couple of blankets, which Stefan had carefully laid one on the ground for them to lay on and one on top for them to get snuggled under. Stefan seemed to be eager for them to make up for the lost time they'd spent not being together whilst he was out on his Ripper binge with Klaus. Suddenly Elena realized that the only intimacy they'd shared in the last six months was the kiss before her accident. She'd spent more time being intimate with Damon than Stefan, a lump of sadness and guilt came up in her throat. She immediately pushed it to the back of her head, she'd chosen Stefan not Damon, and regardless of her feelings for Damon, there was no going back now. She loved Stefan, she would always love Stefan, Stefan was safe and was going to teach her how to be a fully functioning 'human' vampire instead of giving into her natural instinct which is what Damon was encouraging. Elena had to live with her choice and make the best of it.

"Hi." Stefan smiled back before pushing back the blanket and helping Elena get up. Before they'd lain down, Stefan had explained he was listening out for a deer and they'd start hunting when he heard one. Stefan put his finger to his lips signaling for her to be quiet as there was a deer in the vicinity. Elena silently followed him as they walked through the woods towards the deer, suddenly Elena spotted her 'meal' eating grass nearby. Elena started breathing heavily, she was nervous and uncomfortable at hurting a poor defenseless animal, especially when it wasn't her true prey.

"Close your eyes." Stefan whispered as she looked up at him and then closed her eyes. Hearing the telltale whooshing sound indicating Stefan had vamp sped over to the deer, Elena opened her eyes and gasped. Stefan had the poor thing pinned down on the ground, the veins around his eyes protruding, but he wasn't hunting for himself, this was for her. He beckoned Elena over and silently pointed to it's throat where she bent down and bit into it.

The blood gushed into her mouth, however it was so disgusting that she couldn't swallow it, so instead she just pretended to for Stefan's sake. The blood was so disgusting she could only liken the disgust to the horrible taste of milk that had gone off. Elena pretended to take in as much as she could before she got up from the ground, leaving the deer to run off. She watched it as it left, feeling not only hungry, but upset that she'd hurt a poor defenseless deer in the process. It made her feel dirty as she touched the blood around her mouth, unable to hide how upset it made her feel.

"Don't worry, he'll heal. Bigger animals are more resilient." Stefan tried to reassure her seeing her being uncomfortable with this method of feeding as she turned to face him with blood all around her mouth and tears in her eyes.

"Hey." Stefan tried to soothe Elena as he dabbed at the blood around her mouth with a cloth. "You did it. I know it's hard." He said caressing her face. "But you can do this."Elena began to cry, but nodded her head confidently, knowing that if Stefan could do it, she could do it.

"I've got an idea." Stefan changed tack. "Lets forget the feeding for a little while and practice the perks of vampirism." Elena raised her eyebrow in suspicion. "Don't worry." Stefan told her. "I'm going to teach you how to vamp speed properly." He explained as he turned Elena around so her back was towards him.

"I can't do it." Elena giggled, all thoughts of the deer had completely disappeared from her mind.

"Alright, it's like the starting line of a race, right?" Stefan ignored her previous comment. "So you just push off with every ounce of strength that you have."

"Yeah, but I was a cheerleader." Elena argued back. "I sucked at track."

"Just concentrate, okay? You can do it." Stefan encouraged her. Taking in an unnecessary deep breath Elena crouched into a running position before she breathed back out. Stefan placed his hands around her waist which completely distracted her. The sensation of his hands on her body was suddenly turning her on. Learning how to vamp speed was now the furthest thing from her mind.

"I can't. All I can think about is your hands on my body." she complained.

"Oh, okay." Stefan responded innocently taking his hands off from around her waist. Elena grabbed his hands and puts them back around her.

"No, no, no. I - I didn't say to take them off. It feels good." Elena insisted, the six months without sex was beginning to take its toll and she needed physical contact.

"Yeah. What does it feel like?" Stefan whispered in her ear seductively.

"It feels like you're touching every nerve on my body." Elena said closing her eyes whilst Stefan's hands began to roam her body.

"Everything is heightened. Taste, smell, sight, touch." Stefan's whispered huskily as he started to kiss Elena's neck. This was a first between her and Stefan. Due to his blood issues, he'd never been able to pay her neck much attention. She hadn't discovered how much of an erogenous zone it was until she'd made out with Damon in Denver.

The simple thought of Damon kissing her neck sent her spiraling as pure pleasure took over Elena and she lost control, grabbing Stefan's face, they began to kiss passionately. At this point she didn't really care who she was kissing, all she cared about was the need to be kissed She jumped up and puts her legs around Stefan's waist as he super sped them together into a tree. Elena let herself back down on the ground as they continue to kiss whilst Stefan unzipped Elena's jacket and unbuttoned her pants. Elena made Stefan take off his shirt then she began kissing his chest before she moved back to his lips. Elena pushed all thoughts of Damon from her mind and concentrated on Stefan as this was going to be their first time in over six months.

Stefan vamp-sped them over to the makeshift bed that he'd made with the blankets on the ground and laid her down, but Elena wanted to be in charge for a change. She was no longer the weak pathetic human, so as Stefan laid her down on the blankets, she grabbed him, pushed him to the ground and was on top of him, straddling him in the blink of an eye. Elena began kissing him passionately again, enjoying the feeling of being an almost match for Stefan compared to before. Stefan on the other hand had other ideas and wrestled her to being back underneath him. He slid his hands inside her panties and started to play with her clit, sending jolts of electricity throughout her body. As hot as it was, something was different. Usually Stefan took things slow and methodical before he made love to her. She appreciated that she was a vampire and no longer breakable but she felt that both of their needs were purely sexual and had no emotional feelings. When he discarded her clothes and had got her wet enough so that he could enter her comfortably, her thoughts were confirmed. He wasn't making love to her, he was fucking her. She had no problem with the idea of being fucked, and considering her heightened sex drive, she suspected she was going to need that type of sex more frequently, however considering her and Stefan had been apart for so long, she wasn't sure that this was the right time to just 'fuck'.

Thinking about what was happening distracted Elena sufficiently to spoil her pleasure until she wondered what it would be like if it were Damon inside of her instead of Stefan. She knew she shouldn't be fantasizing about making love to Damon whilst having sex with Stefan but she couldn't help it. It did the trick though, she suddenly regained the momentum and became even more turned on. As her eyes closed and she imaged Damon on top of her, she could feel the tell tale signs of an impending orgasm. When it finally ripped through her it wasn't as powerful as she'd hoped, and for the second time that day, she was left feeling unsatisfied..

Moments later Stefan climaxed inside of her and collapsed on top of her for a few seconds before pushing up and looking at her in the eyes. "Told you I'd show you some of the perks of vampirism." he smiled. "Thank you." was all Elena could say as she smiled back and gave him a small peck on the lips before pushing him off to make herself look decent.

Stefan frowned, he could tell something was wrong. "You okay?" he asked.

Elena looked down at him as she ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm fine. A little overwhelmed I guess." she lied. "I think we should get going back to the house, I don't need anymore blood right now."

Stefan looked at her carefully but didn't say anything as he packed their belongings into the rucksack he'd brought. "I've got a surprise for you back at the house." he said smiling as they set off walking the short distance back to the boarding house. "You go straight to my room and I'll be up in a few minutes okay?" he asked as they approached the front door. Elena nodded in response and made her way up to Stefan's bedroom.

When she got to his room, her mind was racing. When she'd imagined her and Stefan reuniting it had been in a much more loving fashion, not as an exercise in the 'perks of vampirism'. She'd needed to imagine she was with Damon just to give her an orgasm. There was no way their sex life was going to function if she was going to have these issues going forward, maybe it was an adjustment issue considering she'd been more intimate with Damon over the last six months than Stefan.

The other thought that began to cross her mind whilst she waited for Stefan was the argument between the brothers about her choice of lifestyle. Neither Caroline nor Lexi had successfully managed to stick to the animal diet. Caroline mainly fed from blood bags. Deep down she knew that feeding from blood bags was the best way forward, but she didn't want to upset Stefan so soon after them getting back together. The deer she'd tried to feed from was absolutely disgusting, and she wasn't sure she could face an eternity of feeding like that. Also she wanted to know what Damon meant by controlling the blood lust. As much as she wanted to ask Stefan, she wasn't sure he was the right person to discuss this with. Instead she knew she needed to talk it over with Damon without the presence of Stefan.

Just as those thoughts crossed her mind she noticed Stefan enter the room. "Hey." she said, feeling like her guilty thoughts were etched all over her face.

"Hi." Stefan said back holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses in his hands.

Elena cocked an eyebrow in surprise."What's that for?" she asked.

"This is from the year you were born." Stefan smiled warmly, holding out the bottle to show her the year. "I think we should celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Elena was confused, she couldn't remember any occasion noteworthy of celebration.

Stefan walked over to her with the glasses and champagne. "Your first feed. I know it was disgusting and traumatic and it was horrible, but you did it anyway." he explained smiling. "You survived it."

"Well, um, I wouldn't say I survived it. It actually kind of made me feel sick." Elena protested weakly.

"Listen, I choked it down for a month before I could stomach the taste. It gets easier." Stefan held out the champagne. "This, on the other hand, will go down like silk." Stefan looked at the bottle and smiled before returning his eyes to hers causing her to smile back.

"You're so cheery." Elena said trying to hide the curiosity in her voice.

"Yeah, because you're here and you're alive-ish. And you're gonna get through this." Stefan explained. Elena nodded, understanding his reasoning. "So, would you like to do the honors?" he asked.

"Okay." Elena said, trying to ignore the dark thought running through her mind that the only reason she was alive-ish was because unbeknownst to her and Stefan, she had Damon's blood running through her veins. Disregarding the thought, she turned her attention to the champagne. Elena didn't need to be asked twice for an excuse to drink champagne as she popped out the cork and it flew across the room. They both screamed and laughed as the bubbles started overflowing.

"Oh my gosh." Elena laughed as Stefan poured the champagne into the glasses.

They clinked their glasses together as a toast."Cheers." Stefan said as they went to kiss each other as Stefan's phone went off and interrupted them as he answered it.

"Perfect timing, Damon." Unlike his brother, Stefan had never mastered the art of sarcasm. "Yeah, we just got back. What?"

Stefan spent a few minutes on the phone with Damon before hanging up and telling Elena about what had happened at Pastor Young's farm although Elena had been able to hear Damon's voice over the phone with perfect clarity. Elena wanted to ask Damon about the blood lust issues and this was a perfect excuse to approach Damon and to see him without Stefan getting suspicious about it. To be on the safe side, Elena only told Stefan that she needed to head home and change, she'd tell him later that she'd gone to the Grill to confront Damon.

Once she got home she showered and changed into some clean clothing, Elena set off to the Mystic Grill. Upon arrival she spotted Damon at his usual place at the bar.

Elena approached him and began to sit down on his left hand side. "Did you do it?" she whispered to him.

"That seat's taken." Damon said without looking.

"But there's no one here." Elena replied totally looking at him in confusion.

"Well, I'm just going to pretend like there's someone there, because the alternative is just too damn depressing." Damon snapped as Elena realized this used to be Ric's usual spot prompting her to move to his other side before sitting down.

"Did you set off the explosion that killed the Town Council?" Elena asked in a low voice even though she had a feeling she knew the answer to her question. The Town Council question was a ruse to cover her real reason for seeing Damon and she needed him to believe it too.

"Am I wearing my "I Blew Up The Council" t-shirt, why does everybody keep asking me that?" Damon asked, sarcasm and irritation was dripping out of his mouth.

"Did you?" Elena asked, just to make sure before she could get to the real reason she wanted to see him.

"No." he snapped. "Anything else?" Elena hesitated, she knew she shouldn't be asking this of Damon after what had happened the night she turned and their friendship had hit rock bottom since then, especially now she knew about everything he'd compelled her to forget. Awkward didn't cover how they felt around each at this point. But Elena knew they needed to talk as she might need his help in the future.

"Yes, something's wrong." Elena looked around furtively, making sure nobody else was listening. "The animal blood is disgusting." she whispered. "It made me feel sick."

Damon rolled his eyes."Well, there's a shock." A sarcastic smirk appeared on his lips.

"I think I need your help." Elena practically pleaded

Damon sighed. "Of course you do." he grimaced. "Pick your meal." Damon pointed to a woman sitting near the pool table. "You've got Asian fusion." then he pointed at a man at the other end of the bar. "Mexican. Or how about some good old American comfort food?" he suggested, waving his hand at nobody in particular.

"No. No, no human blood. Stefan's right, I have to at least try to get through this without hurting anyone. Plus that's not exactly what I meant." Elena looked around. "Can we go somewhere a little more private?" she whispered.

Damon sighed. "Fine, come on." Damon quickly finished his drink, grabbed Elena's arm and dragged her into the bathroom with him. He closed the door and locked it behind them, he then bit his hand and held it out to Elena.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked confused. "I was going to suggest a booth, and why are you offering me your blood?"

Damon turned to face her. "You said you wanted some privacy, so here we are Elena. You can't stand the animal stuff and you don't want to feed from humans, so I'm giving you what you need. Here, drink." he commanded her.

"What?" she asked.

"You're a new vampire, Elena. You need warm blood from the vein. Maybe this will do the trick. Or not. But just, don't tell Stefan." Damon warned her.

"Why not?" Elena asked as she looked at the blood on his hand.

"Because blood sharing is kind of personal." Damon said slowly.

"What do you mean it's personal?" Elena eyed Damon suspiciously, secretly wanting to know what he meant but decided to drop it for now.

"Just drink." Damon insisted.

"Ewww Damon, no. " Elena scrunching her face up in disgust,. "That's not why I wanted to talk to you." she explained.

"Okay then, What's on your mind that you're too scared to ask your boyfriend." he asked, going over to the sink, washing the blood from his hand and then wiping it with a paper towel.

Elena took in a deep and unnecessary breath. "I overheard you and Stefan talking earlier." she told him, as Damon put the paper towel in the bin and turned back around to face her. "You said something about how I wouldn't be able to control the blood lust if I'd never experienced the blood lust. What did you mean by that?" she asked. "Caroline has great control."

Damon leaned up against one of the sinks and folded his arms. "How do you want me to answer that?" he asked. "Do you want the sugar coated version or the truth?"

Elena sighed. "You always tell me the truth Damon." she said. "Why stop now? You've never sugar coated things before. I just want your honesty."

"Let me ask you a question." Damon tilted his head in thought. "If you went home and Jeremy had cut himself with a knife and there was blood, what would you do? How would you react?" he asked.

Elena looked at her feet, before looking at Damon uncomfortably. "I don't know." she said quietly.

"I know what you'd do." Damon told her. "You'd try and resist, but it would be futile because you don't have the skills to resist. Those skills don't magically appear you know. You have to learn them through experience. Learning the theory isn't enough to prepare you for the real world, it's a skill that takes practice. Stefan can only do the bunny diet because he's experienced the blood lust. Caroline is the same, she experienced the blood lust when she first turned, when she killed that guy at the carnival."

Elena folded her arms defensively. "I don't want to hurt anyone Damon."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Look Elena, I'm just being honest with you. You asked me what would happen and I'm telling you that you are going to struggle when you come across fresh human blood. Your instincts will take over, you will go for the jugular and you won't know when to stop because you don't know when that cut off point is to step away from the ledge, before you've taken too much and end up killing someone. I can explain it but until you feel it, you won't understand what I mean. Let's just hope it doesn't with someone you love." Elena could clearly see annoyance marking Damon's voice.

"What if I try blood bags instead?" Elena asked. "If I have enough, I won't have the need for blood and being around the fresh stuff won't bother me."

Damon's face softened. "There's no such thing as being too full for a vampire." he explained. "Once you get caught up in the blood lust, there's no such thing as too much blood. Stefan can go through an entire village in less than an hour, he only stops when he runs out of people, not because he's full. You have to learn how to pull away because it's easy to get caught up in the feed. Then the feed soon becomes the kill. It is that easy to lose control." he snapped his fingers. "Only once you've learned how to pull away and resist it during a feed, can you resist it and not feed in the first place."

Elena nodded in understanding. "So why is Stefan so adamant about me going straight onto the bunny diet when he knows that I could lose control and kill someone?" she asked.

Damon looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think part of him thinks that if you never taste human blood, you'll never crave human blood, which is ridiculous because instincts will always override the brain of a newbie vampire."

"And the other part?" Elena asked, although she suspected she already knew the answer.

"I can't really answer on behalf of my brother, but I suspect he's scared he'll lose you if you feed from humans." he told her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because when we turn we change." Damon explained. "Our personalities become heightened but at the same time we also become a little darker. We lose a little part of our humanity. Part of the reason for this is because we feed off of human blood. Our morals change and things are no longer about what's good or bad. It's about learning to survive." Elena listened to what Damon told her with interest. Nothing like this had been explained to her before, although it wouldn't have truly made sense to her until now. "When Stefan feeds from humans." Damon continued. "He almost loses his entire humanity, and he's scared that will happen to you. The rest of us lose only parts, unless we flip the switch and then we lose it all."

Elena frowned. "So you think Stefan is afraid of losing me to my possible darker side? Do you think he thinks I'll become like Katherine?" she asked.

"No!" Damon reassured her. "You are the polar opposite to Katherine, and that will be heightened. I'm guessing that it's because he won't be able to share the experiences with you."

Reality washed over Elena. "He can't teach me how to control the blood lust, because he can't control it himself." Damon smiled at her conclusion. "You think he's worried that I'll turn to you when I need help, and that you'll be the one getting me through this instead of him." Damon nodded, his smile getting wider. "Why would he think that?" she asked.

"Considering it's me you're having this conversation with right now, I'd say Stefan has every right to suspect you'd turn to me for help when he can't be there for you." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Oh. I guess maybe he has a point." Elena said in a small voice. "Okay, so as I've already asked for your help, we need to find a solution." Elena continued. "We need to find a sensible way of helping me control the blood lust before I make a decision about my future diet."

Damon grinned. "Now that's more like it." he said. "I say we go to this memorial and I'll come up with a plan to teach you to feed from humans without Saint Stefan knowing, until we're confident that you have full control over your blood lust. Can I just ask, how many times have you fed since you turned and when did you last feed?"

"I've only fed once." Elena told Damon as his jaw dropped in shock at the news. "But I couldn't swallow it because it was so horrible. It would have made me sick" she said sadly.

"So you're starving?" Damon asked as Elena nodded. Damon ran his fingers through his hair. "Fuck, Elena. "Are you telling me that you haven't fed since you turned?" he asked angrily. Elena nodded her head like a scolded child. "You do realize you are about to go into a church full of people and you're starving. I can't give you a blood bag before the service because that might trigger the blood lust, so we'll have to hope you don't go all Ripper 2.0 on us during the service, and then I'll give you a blood bag and find a way to sort this out. Does that sound okay?" Damon asked.

Elena smiled before leaning over to him and gingerly pecking him on the cheek. "Thank you for this Damon. You don't know how much it means to me." Damon grimaced. " But please Damon, don't tell Stefan until I'm ready." she asked. Damon nodded in response as she unlocked the bathroom door and they both walked out to go home and get ready for the memorial.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

After returning home to change into the peach dress she'd selected for the memorial, Elena was now in the church with Matt laying out order of service pamphlets onto the rows of benches. Elena's mind however, was elsewhere. She had two problems, she was feeling weak from not feeding and she was still reeling from her conversation with Damon. She didn't like that she was keeping something this important from Stefan, she just hoped he'd understand if he ever found out. Elena was in a little world of her own until she saw Matt walk up to her.

"How are you feeling? A little strung out?" he asked as he handed her more pamphlets.

"I'm fine." Elena replied. "It's just my emotions are all over the place. Everything's heightened. I mean..." Elena hesitated a moment as she opened up one of the pamphlets. "Just the sight of all the names of the dead makes me want to cry for a week."

"You didn't have to volunteer." Matt offered sympathetically.

"People died." she insisted. "People we've known our whole lives, so yeah, I did." Elena glanced over at the front of the church and noticed a young girl with long black hair sitting on one of the pews, her head down. "Is that?..."

"April Young. Yeah." Matt finished her question.

"Oh, wow." was all Elena could say before she left Matt and walked over to April, sitting down next to her. "Hey there." she said.

"Hey. Long time, no see. Not since..." April raised her blue eyes to meet Elena's but was unable to finish her sentence.

"My parent's funeral." Elena took the awkwardness away from the younger girl.

"Yeah." April said as Elena hugged her.

"Are you gonna survive this?" Elena asked, her voice full of concern.

"They want me to speak." April said sadly. "I guess all the kids who lost somebody can. What am I supposed to say?" She was practically on the verge of tears with what appeared to be guilt more than grief. "I'm sorry my dad didn't fix the gas line? But, if I don't say anything then...I mean, what if nobody does? My dad and I didn't always get along or anything but, everybody still deserves to have nice things said about them at their own funeral, you know? I mean, for my mom's funeral, everybody said these really nice things."

"You say what you want to say or you don't say anything at all." Elena tried to calm April down. "And don't worry about your dad, everyone in this town loved him."

"Yeah." April began to choke up. "Until two days ago."

"Even still..." Elena went to take her hand to comfort her, but she noticed the vein in April's wrist, her delicious blood pulsating, the temptation was strong. Elena felt the hunger rise up inside of her as she wanted to rip into April's wrist and take the blood from her body, knowing it would get rid of all of the pain she was suffering right now. However somewhere in the back of her mind she managed to remind herself that this was April Young and draining her in the middle of a church wouldn't be considered acceptable behavior. So instead of feeding, she realized that she needed to get away from April immediately so she began to get up.

"I'm sorry, I...I have to go." Elena made her excuses and rushed off into the bathroom to get away from everyone.

Although she didn't need to breathe, Elena started to hyperventilate in panic. She had no idea how to get through the service without hurting anyone. In that moment, Elena did the only thing she knew she could do, call Damon. After three rings he picked up his phone.

"Elena? You Okay?" he asked.

Elena turned the taps on so nobody could hear her phone conversation. "No I'm not Damon. I nearly attacked April Young. I saw the vein in her wrist pulsating..." her voice began to get ragged. "All I wanted to do was rip into it and feed."

"So what did you do?" Damon asked.

"I ran away to the bathroom and called you." Elena cried.

"Well that's a good start." Damon told her.

"How?" Elena asked.

"You were able to walk away even when you were starving." he offered.

"How am I supposed to get through this?" Elena demanded in a whisper.

"I'll bring something to take the edge off it during the memorial, then we'll get someone to help by offering a donation." Damon assured her. "It's for a good cause."

"You're bringing a blood bag?" she asked.

"No!" Damon told her. "That could make things worse. Just don't worry, I'm on my way. Where are you?" Damon asked.

"I'm in the basement bathroom." Elena replied when suddenly the knob on the door started rattling and turning. Elena looked at it. "Is that you at the door?" she asked.

"Not yet." Damon replied. Elena heard a knock on the door.

"Sorry, there's someone in here!" Elena called out to the person on the other side of the door. "Damon, hurry." she whispered down the phone in a panicked voice as she turned off the water. Suddenly she heard footsteps she recognized to be Damon.

"You again. Stalking small town funerals?" Elena sighed a sigh of relief upon hearing Damon's voice from the other side of the door. Mindful that there was another person on the other side, she opened the bathroom door to see Damon.

"Oh, Damon, thank God." she said before she poked her head out the door to apologize to the man who looked like he'd walked out of an action movie, waiting for the bathroom. "Sorry, I – I um I won't be a moment." Elena apologized before turning her attention to Damon, who nodded at her signaling he'd stand guard whilst he handed her a small package She closed the door and tuned out the conversation going off on the other side of the door and opened the package Damon had for her which turned out to be a hip flask of whiskey.

"Everything okay in there?" Damon called out to her a couple of minutes later.

"Yeah, just a minute!" Elena called back as she took a few gulps of the disgusting liquid, although it did take the edge off the cravings and put the flask in her bag. "I'm so sorry that took so long. I thought I was about to have an asthma attack" Elena apologized to the strangely dressed man.

"I brought her inhaler." Damon grinned.

"No problem." the man replied smiling.

"Well, enjoy your stay." Damon said to the stranger. "We love visitors and the scenery is to die for." He gasped and put his hand over his mouth, causing Elena to roll her eyes at him. "Funeral pun. Too soon. Sorry." he joked before they left. Once they got outside the church, they walked across the grounds to find a sheltered spot.

"Did you bring a blood bag?" Elena asked as she spotted a tree that looked like a good place to hide.

"Would you mind saying that a little louder?" Damon whispered back, looking around to check they were alone before they went behind the tree. "No." he said. "We need someone to willingly tap a vein for you to feed from until we get you under control and on a more community friendly diet."

"Will the whiskey help?" Elena asked.

"It'll help you stay in control as long as there's no fresh blood around, but we're in a church not a kitchen. It dulls the senses enough to not concentrate on the heartbeats of the humans around you." he explained. "It just doesn't dull your sense of smell, but unless there's fresh blood, you shouldn't need to worry about that." he reassured her.

"Okay." she said sounding a little more optimistic at the thought of getting through the service.

"Does Little Gilbert still have his magic little ring?" he asked. "It could be useful."

"No, no, I can't. I can't feed from Jeremy" Elena started to panic as she realized what Damon was about to suggest.

"I'm not saying it has to be Jeremy." Damon assured her. "However he might offer. He loves you and if he understands the situation properly he'll do anything to help. You won't be able to kill him as he's wearing his ring. If not Jeremy, what about the quarterback. He seems desperate to make amends for your new life."

Elena's face fell. "I can't ask Matt." she said shocked.

"You need to drink from the vein and you're going to have to ask someone who isn't going to blab to my baby brother, and I suspect those two will be your best options." he explained.

"No. No, I don't – I can't risk killing anyone, Damon." The thought of drinking from another person was appealing, although killing someone scared her. "Maybe I'm better off dead." she complained. At this Damon grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Don't you think like that. Elena, you'll be fine. Okay? Plus if you did accidentally kill them, they'd be wearing the Gilbert ring. And with Esther out of the picture, it shouldn't make them go crazy if they die a couple of times in the process of helping you." He reassured her as he gently caressed her face, which she found strangely comforting. Suddenly she heard the church bells ring, which snapped her back to reality and the reason why she was at the church.

"I have to get back inside." Elena told him abruptly before hurrying back inside the church, leaving Damon standing alone at the tree.

Elena walked quietly into the main room of the church and looked around for Matt and Jeremy, once she located them she sat next to them in the pew. She knew she looked pale and she felt sick and weak. Matt and Jeremy took one look at her and realized something was wrong, probably judging from her appearance.

"You okay?" Matt asked, his voice full of concern. Elena could only nod in response, she was almost afraid to breathe in case she caught a sniff of the scent of his or Jeremy's blood.

"Hey, April was looking for you." Jeremy told her quietly. "She wanted help with her speech."

"Where is she?" Elena asked, her voice in a whisper as she looked around trying to spot the telltale black hair of April's.

"I don't know." Jeremy whispered back.

As Elena took in a breath, she was suddenly awash with the familiar scent of Stefan, signalling his arrival. Listening out for his footsteps, she heard him stop, curious as to why he had stopped before he reached her, she listened into the conversation he was having.

"What are you doing here, Tyler?" he whispered.

"Being sensitive to the community's loss." Tyler whispered back, a hint of sarcasm lay in his voice.

"With a hunter out to get you?" Stefan asked back, still whispering. This was news to Elena. Nobody had mentioned a hunter to her, then images flashed through her mind of the man waiting outside of the bathroom earlier. He was certainly dressed for the role. She regretted not listening into his and Damon's conversation whilst she'd been drinking the whiskey. She decided to continue listening into the conversation Stefan was having, hopefully it would take her mind from the desperate urges she had to rip everyone's throats out right now.

"I'm not letting a hunter stop me from where I'm supposed to be." Tyler continued.

"Also, if he shows his face, I'm gonna kick his ass." Caroline added, causing Elena to smile as she heard Stefan walk away and sit down, however, she was still puzzled as to why he'd not sat next to her when she really needed him, before she realized that he hadn't got a clue about her blood issues as she hadn't told him. Moments later Mayor Lockwood took to the podium, as she prepared to start the memorial.

"Before we begin the Mass, we'd like to open the floor to anyone who would like to share a memory about our late friends on the Town Council." Mayor Lockwood announced. "I know that April Young wanted to say a few words about her dad. April? April, are you still here, honey?" she looked around, searching for April, who was still strangely missing.

After a few awkward moments of silence Mayor Lockwood asked "Is there anyone else who would like to share a recollection or a memory about Pastor Young?" when nobody got up Elena decided that she'd speak on behalf of April so she stood up. "Come on up, Elena." Mayor Lockwood offered. As Elena pushed past Jeremy to leave the pew. As she did so another familiar scent hit her, it was Damon entering the church.

"Don't know why that always makes me smile." Elena heard Damon mutter to himself as she walked up to Mayor Lockwood. When she finally reached the podium, she noticed that Damon had sat down next to Stefan and was watching her.

"She doesn't look so good." She heard him say.

"Maybe you should have told me she was rejecting all food sources." Stefan whispered back.

"Jealousy's beneath you, brother." Damon retorted.

"Oh, bite me." Stefan snapped in a whisper. Suspecting that Damon must have told Stefan about her blood issues, she decided to stop listening to them bicker and concentrate on saying something on behalf of April, which was easier said than done considering she was in a room full of human heartbeats and her almost desperate need for blood. It was starting to distract her train of thought.

"I uh – when I talked to April earlier she was kind of nervous about coming up to speak. And now that I'm up here, I'm kind of nervous too." Elena was trying to find something to say, but every second that passed was making it harder. She couldn't breathe, all she could think about was blood. She was starting to feel very faint, but she knew she needed to focus. Her true motivation was to get away from Jeremy and Matt as she was scared that without Stefan or Damon, she'd lose control and rip one of their throats out. "The worst day of loving someone is the day that you lose them." she managed to say but then the smell hit her and Elena stopped. She could smell the scent and hear fresh human blood dripping from somewhere. Elena looked around to see if it was her imagination, but from the looks on their faces, Stefan, Tyler, Damon, and Caroline could all smell it too.

"Do you smell that?" Elena heard Caroline confirmed her suspicions.

"Blood." Tyler whispered back. The word alone caused Elena to breathe even more heavily.

"Nobody move." Damon told Caroline, Tyler, Elena, and Stefan via vampire hearing. "Don't turn around, it's a trap."

"I um..." Elena tried to breathe in and out, but she could feel the tickling sensation of the veins started crawling towards her eyes. The smell of blood was too much, but she knew she couldn't falter in front of the hunter as he'd surely try and kill her. Elena noticed Stefan walked up to the podium, she guessed he realized that she was having problems, he wrapped his arm around her to hide the veins and they both acted as if she was overcome by grief instead of the hunger.

"It's okay, it's okay. I got you, I got you." Stefan whispered as he led Elena off the stage and back into the row next to Matt.

The priest replaced Elena on the podium before he addressed the congregation. "Please turn to page forty two in your hymn book. Let us join together in a song." he said, prompting everyone in the room to stand up and begins to sing.

"The blood. Stefan, the blood, I can smell it." Elena whispered to Stefan in panic. "There's so much."

"It's alright; just remember what we talked about. Focus, push back, come on you can do this." Stefan tried to soothe her.

"What's wrong with her?" Matt asked Stefan.

"She's hungry. She hasn't fed." Stefan told him.

"So, get her out of here." Matt told Stefan quietly.

"I can't. There's somebody watching us." Stefan explained.

"I'm gonna go rip his head off now." Damon piped up from a few rows back in a voice that could only be heard by his fellow vampires.

"You do that, Damon, and you risk exposing all of us." Stefan argued back quietly.

"Well, I think the risk will be slightly diminished when I...you know, rip his head off." Sarcasm was creeping into Damon's voice.

"Stefan, I'm losing it." Elena pleaded.

"You have ten seconds before I go old fashioned on the new guy." Damon offered.

"Don't do it, Damon. Please." Stefan begged.

"Three, two, one. Bye." Damon warned them.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait." Matt interjected, realizing the seriousness of the situation. "Elena, feed from me." he continued. "It's okay, everyone will think you're upset. Just feed from me." Elena looked up at Stefan for his approval. Stefan looked at Matt and then Elena before letting Matt take Elena in his arms. "It's okay. You'll be okay." Matt said soothingly as Elena moved Matt's collar. She felt the blood rushing to the veins around her eyes and her fangs pop out as she saw the pulse point on his neck. She pierced the flesh to allow the delicious blood to flow into her mouth and she began to drink from his neck whilst looking like she was crying on Matt's shoulder. Finally the starvation receded enough for her to stop drinking, although she was nowhere near full but she felt her face go back to normal.

"Thank you." Elena whispered to Matt as she wiped the blood from her mouth whilst Matt hid the wound with the collar of his jacket. However it hadn't diminished the smell of blood. Instead it had only heightened her sense of smell. "The blood. I can still smell it. It's got to be April. We have to help her." Elena said as she tried to leave, but Stefan stopped her.

"Elena, we can't risk it." Stefan whispered.

"Then I'm gonna do it!" Elena continued to try to push past Stefan, but stopped when she realized Tyler was on the podium before he started started speaking.

"Excuse me. I just wanted to say a few words about Pastor Young." Tyler said through the microphone.

"What do we do?" Elena whispered as everyone sat back down to allow Tyler to speak.

"Back in first grade, I was a brat who couldn't be bothered with team sports." Tyler told the congregation. "Didn't care much about anything that didn't affect me. But he was the one who made me understand how important it is to be part of a team, a community. Of giving yourself up for the sake of..." Tyler was stopped in his tracks as the sound of a gun shot rang out causing Tyler to spin and fall to the floor.

Pandemonium ensued inside the church, everybody started to scream as they ducked into the aisles, and began rushing out of the church doors. Elena noticed Damon make his way out with the crowd and Caroline and Mayor Lockwood rushing towards Tyler. Elena headed straight to the stage to join them.

"Oh my God." Mayor Lockwood cried bringing her hands to her face in panic. Calmly Caroline got down next to Tyler and ripped the stake bullet out of his chest. At that moment Stefan arrived onto the stage to check on Tyler as he stood next to Elena. Tyler was clearly fine as Caroline's actions only prompted Tyler to start coughing.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." Tyler hissed angrily confirming he was indeed absolutely fine.

"Damon's way ahead of you. Stay here, I have to help him." Stefan started to leave, but Elena grabbed his hand.

"What about April?" Elena asked.

"I got it. Go." Caroline told Stefan allowing him to leave.

"I have to call an ambulance." Mayor Lockwood said in a panicked voice.

"No, he's fine." Caroline said as Elena started to walk away.

"The whole town just watched you get shot. I'm calling an ambulance." Elena heard Mayor Lockwood insist.

Elena was now long gone. Her target was to find April, although she wasn't sure whether it was to save her or feed on her as she knew the smell was coming from her and the location of the blood was the balcony. Once she arrived there she saw April's body barely alive gagged up covered in the delicious scent of blood.

"Elena." Elena heard Caroline's voice behind her as she approached the bleeding girl.

"April!" She called out, but as she got closer to the blood, the veins started to pulse around her eyes and she could feel her fangs popping out. Before she knew it she was rushing towards April to feed off her, however Caroline managed to grab hold of Elena before she got to April and pull her back.

"She's not dead, but if you feed on her you will kill her!" Caroline told her but Elena ignored her.

"Let go of me!" Elena cried back as she tried to fight Caroline off to get to April's blood.

"Look at her! Look at her, Elena! It's April. April Young." Caroline said calmly, trying to get Elena to see the person above the food. "She's not a warm body for you to feed on. She's your friend." Caroline's words did the trick as Elena concentrated on her friend's words, slowly starting to feel her fangs retract and the veins rescind. Once Caroline was happy Elena wasn't going to attack April she released her. "She's an orphan. Just like you." Caroline bent down next to April's barely alive body. "She's scared. Just like you were." Caroline continued as she bit her wrist and fed April her blood. Suddenly April gasped as she woke up and looked at both Elena and Caroline in fear.

"Please, don't hurt me. Please." April begged as she began to cry, her eyes flickering between Caroline and Elena.

"No one's gonna hurt you. No one's gonna hurt you." Caroline reassured April in a soothing voice as she stood up and looked at Elena. "She needs you. You can make her forget all of this."

"Why did he do this?" April asked.

"No, I – I can't, Caroline. You have to do it." Elena told Caroline in a panicked voice. She'd never compelled anyone before, she wasn't sure if she was strong enough yet as she'd only had a small amount of human blood.

"No. The only way you're going to learn is if you do it yourself." Caroline insisted as if she were a school teacher.

"No, I can't." Elena resisted.

"Yes, you can." Caroline insisted, her voice brimming with confidence. "You just need to believe what you're telling her. Okay?" Elena knew that arguing with Caroline when she had her mind set on something, was a pointless exercise. Having no choice, she decided to give it a try. She knelt down next to April and gently touched her shoulder to try and calm her down as she was still panicking all the while fighting back the urge to sink her teeth into her friend.

"April, listen to me." Elena said softly and reassuringly, causing April to look at Elena. "Everything's gonna be okay. You're gonna get through this. Just like I got through it." Elena could feel the power coming out of her as she began to compel April. "I'm going to help you. I promise." she told her.

"I'm gonna be okay. You're gonna help me." April said blankly. Realizing that it was working, Elena looked up at Caroline with a smile, which her friend returned with encouraging enthusiasm.

"You watched the funeral from up here so that you could grieve alone. It was a beautiful service. People said really nice things." Elena told her causing April to smile. After they'd finished, Elena helped April up and the three of them made their way out of the church as Elena headed towards Stefan so that they could go home.

As Stefan and Elena finally were making their way silently back to the boarding house, Elena could feel the anger radiating from Stefan, directed towards her. She wasn't sure how much Damon had told Stefan about her not feeding, she hoped he'd kept their intentions to a bare minimum and not told Stefan what she'd planned to do with Damon. Once they got there, they both headed straight for the parlor, Elena sat down whilst Stefan just walked over to the wet bar. To confirm just how angry Stefan was, he poured Elena a drink and handed it to her before pouring one for himself, as if preparing himself for the argument they were about to have. Elena took one sniff of the alcohol and groaned in disgust.

"It helps with the cravings." Stefan told her although she already knew from experience. Elena took a drink and coughed, confirming how disgusting the drink really was. Maybe she'd find an alternative to take the edge off instead, tequila would be an option. Elena noted Stefan taking a large drink from his glass as well, Stefan drinking alcohol was never a good sign.

"You're mad." Elena finally asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'm mad. You lied to me." he shouted back.

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you." Elena replied sheepishly, although the irony of the situation wasn't lost on Elena, considering how many times Stefan had lied to her throughout their relationship.

"Come on, Elena, you lied to me." Stefan insisted.

"You were just so happy that things were going well and – and..." Elena stumbled, not knowing what to say.

"You think I'm happy?" Stefan asked angrily.

"I just didn't want to ruin it for you." Elena protested.

"You're in hell which means that I'm in hell. Then you go to Damon for help." Stefan shouted, prompting Elena to start to cry.

"Yeah, because I thought that he would understand." Elena decided it was time to argue back.

"You think I don't?" Stefan asked.

"Stefan, please." Elena begged.

"You asked him to teach you how to control the blood lust knowing that I can't. I know that may not mean much to you, but it means a lot to me. And I know it's certainly important to Damon." Elena breathed an internal sigh of relief as those words left Stefan's lips.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I'm – I'm sorry – I – look I'm really, really sorry." tears suddenly pricked through her eyes. "Why am I crying?" Elena tried to deflect as she wiped the tears away. "I'm so sick of crying!" She stood up and started to pace, the tears were a mix of being upset because of Stefan's reaction, frustration over her feeding issue and deep down she knew she needed Damon and she couldn't turn to him right now.

"Your emotions are a bit heightened right now." Stefan's voice was calmer as he'd realized Elena was getting worked up.

"I feel like I've been crying since the day that my parents died. My life it's – it's like a never ending funeral. We keep burying people, Stefan. You want to know what's heightened? This grief, I can't stop feeling everyone's grief." And it was true, the memorial today had just been the icing on the cake. Over the past eighteen months she'd lost almost her entire family except Jeremy. Stefan walked over to her as she continued with her rant. "All the hurt, I feel like it's trying to explode out of me."

Stefan took Elena's hands. "Hey, come on. Come with me." he said.

"Where?" Elena asked, her face full of confusion.

"There's something we need to do. Come on." he said as they walked out of the house and got into Stefan's car. Before he set off, he sent a few texts out and drove the car to the school.

As they arrived, Elena noted that Caroline, Matt and Jeremy were already sat at the picnic tables. Stefan and Elena got out of the car as both Bonnie and Damon's cars pulled up. Each one getting out and heading towards them.

"What are we doing here?" Elena heard Damon ask Bonnie.

"I don't know. Ask Stefan." Bonnie replied as they joined the rest of the group.

"Stefan, what are we doing?" Damon asked Stefan who had some paper lanterns in his hand.

"We're finishing the memorial we didn't get to have earlier." Stefan said as he handed Elena a lantern. "We need to start healing, Damon. We've all lost so much, especially recently. I think we're numb to it. We push it away, we make a joke out of it, ignore how we feel. We've never just let ourselves grieve."

"So, you're lighting lanterns?" Damon asked with disdain.

"Yeah. Yeah, we need to do this." Stefan replied.

"What we need to do is find out who this hunter is and what he knows about the death of the Council." Damon argued back. "We have more important things to be doing right now than this."

"Not tonight, we don't." Stefan told him causing Damon to scoff and roll his eyes. Stefan took the lighter and lantern in his hand before he made his prepared speech. "This is for my uncle Zach and my friend Lexi and for Alaric." Stefan said as he lit the lantern before he handed the lighter to Matt who like the others, had also picked up a lantern ready to light.

"This is for Vicki." Matt said as he lit his lantern and passed the lighter to Caroline.

"This is for my dad. And Tyler's." Caroline lit her lantern and passed the lighter on to Jeremy.

"This is for our parents." Jeremy said as he looked at Elena. "For Vicki." he turned his attention to Matt. "Anna. Jenna. And Alaric." He lit his lantern and looked up at Damon and tried to hand him the lighter but Damon refused.

"No way. I'm not doing that." Damon told them bas he turned around and left, which didn't surprise Elena as she noted that many of the deaths they were remembering were either at the hands of Damon or a consequence of his actions. She knew that not only was it making him feel guilty, but in his mind it would make him a hypocrite. Elena began to wonder if Stefan knew his brother at all. Elena was jolted from her thoughts when Jeremy gave the lighter to Bonnie. She took a lantern out of the box, got up and stood next to Caroline.

"This is for my Grams." Bonnie said as Stefan looked at Elena. She got up and stood next to him, taking the lighter from Bonnie, she lit her lantern.

"This um – is for my mom, my dad, Jenna, everyone that you've all lost, everyone that this town has lost." Elena said. "And for me, I guess." she added as she stepped forward and released her lantern. Then one at a time, they all began to release their lanterns, watching them as they float off into the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Elena decided to go back to school the next day, and to ensure she didn't starve, Matt had offered to help her out and let her feed from him. In return he'd taken to wearing the Gilbert ring during feeding, just to be on the safe side. They'd arranged to meet near the stoner den before school started whilst it was still quiet. Elena hadn't been waiting long when she heard Matt approach.

"Kind of weird, doing this in our old make-out spot." Matt said smiling.

"Thank you for doing this. Damon seems to think that I need to be able to feed properly before I can move on to blood bags." Elena replied.

"It's okay. I kind of owe you my life, remember?" Matt insisted with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, but I didn't make Stefan save your life so that I could turn you into a human blood bag." Elena retorted, knowing the situation with Matt was only going to be temporary, she just hadn't decided what to do yet.

"Elena, please, just... Let me do this for you." Matt said adamantly as he rolled up his sleeve and held out his his arm towards her prompting Elena's fangs to appear, as she gently bit into his wrist and began to feed on him. As soon as the blood entered her mouth, she felt the veins pulsing around her eyes suggesting the blood lust was about to take over, forcing her to stop and let go of him.

"Was that enough?" Matt looked down at his wrist in confusion. He knew that she had hardly taken any yet she'd already stopped.

"No." Elena said as she wiped the blood from her face with a paper napkin. "But, if I had any more, I'm afraid I wouldn't stop. Here." Elena offered as she took out a bandage from her bag and covered the bite marks on Matt's wrist. "Thank you." she said as Matt nodded at her just as the bell rang. Elena jumped down onto a table and then to the ground followed by Matt before they began to walk across the school yard.

"So, you really think school is the best place for you right now?" Matt asked

"The vampire hunter knows that Damon's a vampire _and_ that I know Damon." Elena explained. "Hiding at home would be more suspicious. Besides, I want to be here. It's my senior year. I survived this long, there's no way I'm bailing before graduation."

Elena noticed a pamphlet on the windshield of a car and and picked it up so she could read it. "Mandatory curfew, all ages commencing until further notice, which is issued by the Police Department." Elena read out loud. "Town called for curfew?" she asked confused.

"Tyler got shot in front of half the town. Everyone's a little freaked." Matt shrugged.

"If only they knew the real story." Elena bit back and headed to class.

First period was History and Elena sat down at her desk next to Stefan. Elena noticed the chalkboard with Alaric's handwritten notes on it. Losing Ric had been hard and the notes were just another reminder of someone else she had lost. Tears started to well up in her eyes, choking back, she tried to do everything she could not to cry in front of the whole class.

"It's the first time we've been back in Alaric's classroom..." Stefan said pointing out the obvious.

"First period, and I'm ready to bawl my eyes out." Elena whispered back, the tears threatening to fall.

"Morning, everyone." Rebekah greeted nobody in particular as she entered the classroom with fliers

"Morning, Bekah." Someone behind Elena replied.

"Just like that, I'm no longer feeling sentimental." Elena muttered under her breath as her mood switched immediately from grief to anger.

"So, I'm throwing a little anti-curfew party at my new house. Starts at fifth period and goes 'til whenever. Spread the word." Rebekah announced as she began to hand out a couple of the fliers before turning to Elena. "You're welcome to join, Elena, if you'd like to bury the hatchet." She plastered a fake smile across her face as she handed Elena a flier

"It's a pretty enormous hatchet." Elena spat back at her.

"Well, I'm feeling generous of spirit." Rebekah said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"New house, huh? Did your brother finally kick you out?" Elena asked as she looked at the flier in her hand.

"He didn't kick me out, I left." Rebekah corrected her.

"So, you left the only person on earth that actually likes you?" Elena raised an eyebrow as Rebekah looked at Stefan.

"Well, your boyfriend liked me once. Actually, a _lot_ more than once." Rebekah smirked which made Elena even more angry.

"Why are you still in town, Rebekah? Don't you have anywhere else to go?" Stefan asked lazily.

"Well, history's my favorite class. Actually, where is Mr. Saltzman...?" Rebekah paused causing Elena to get even angrier. "Oh, that's right, I killed him." Rebekah smiled sweetly.

Elena finally lost it and threw her pencil at Rebekah's face, which Rebekah managed to grab mid air, throwing it back at Elena and impaling her in the shoulder. They glared at each other before Elena removed the pencil and got up before anyone else in class noticed what had just happened. Elena stormed out into the hallway and Stefan followed, stopping her as he gently took hold of the arms of the visibly furious Elena and tried to calm her down. Elena however pulled out of his grasp and continued walking down the hallway.

"Just breathe, just breathe. You haven't felt this kind of rage before." he tried to coaxed her.

"I fucking hate her." Elena growled as she and Stefan stopped walking and stood face-to-face. "I didn't think I was capable of hate, but I hate her, and I hate that I hate her."

All of a sudden Elena's mood switched once more, suddenly distracted from her hate as she looked over Stefan's shoulder. "That's the hunter." she said quietly, prompting Stefan to turn around as they both watched Connor in the hallway, talking to a woman.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Stefan asked as they watched Connor walk towards Jeremy, who was standing at his locker.

"Jeremy. No." Elena began to walk towards Jeremy before Stefan managed to stop her.

"No, no, no. Hey, hey, let me get this." Stefan pointed out her bloody hand to her. "Okay? I got that." Stefan walked off towards Jeremy and Connor. Elena headed to the girls restroom to clean up. She took off her sweater before grabbing some tissues and rinsing her blood-soaked hands and shoulder with water. Moments later, a girl walked into the restroom behind Elena with her hand clamped over her neck.

"There you are. Rebekah sent me to see if you were okay." The girl said as Elena threw away the tissues, barely taking any notice of the girl.

"I'm fine, Heather." Elena said irritably

"I'm not." Heather told her.

Suddenly the scent of blood filled the air. Elena turned around and looked at Heather confused, until she saw the blood dripping from Heather's neck underneath her hand. Realizing what Rebekah had done, Elena began to breathe heavily as she struggled trying to resist the girl's blood whilst she could feel her canines itching to elongate.

"What's wrong, Elena? Getting hungry?" Rebekah asked as she entered the restroom and walked over to Heather who removed her hand from her neck, making the blood easier for Elena to see and smell.

"No, get-get away from me." Elena began to panic as Rebekah wiped at the blood from Heather's neck with her finger. This was the last thing Elena needed with the Hunter around.

"But she's _so_ delicious." Rebekah taunted as she placed her finger with blood on Elena's mouth, forcing Elena to slap her hand away.

"You shouldn't be here. This is _my_ school. It's _my_ life. And I'm _not_ gonna let you ruin it!" Elena shouted at Rebekah.

"It's my school now." My life. Maybe _you're_ the one who shouldn't be here." Rebekah shouted back. "And I couldn't help but overhear that there's a vampire hunter roaming the hallways." Rebekah rubbed her hand over Heather's bloody neck wound. "How inconvenient for you." she continued as she wiped her bloody hand all over Elena's face, prompting the veins to pulse all around Elena's eyes and causing her to growl. "See you in gym. I think it's dodge ball day." Rebekah took Heather and they both left the bathroom. As if nothing had happened.

Elena took a few deep breaths to force the veins to disappear, before she furiously stormed outside to find Stefan who was sat with Caroline at one of the picnic tables. Once there, Elena proceeded to tell them what happened with Rebekah in the bathroom, all the while pacing back and forth in front of them.

"It was a valiant first day effort." Caroline told Elena. "No one will judge you if you want to go home." she suggested.

"I don't want to go home." Elena replied indignantly. "I want to take the white oak stake and _kill_ her. That's how mad I am. She made me murderous!"

"How about we just leave the murdering to Damon?" Stefan joked before getting up and walking towards Elena.

"And-and then do what? _Ignore_ her to death?" Elena asked, although the mention of Damon had given her an idea regarding killing Rebekah.

"Look, she's trying to make herself feel better." Stefan sighed. "She knows that everybody hates her, so she's trying to hate harder. Tell you what, let's just skip the rest of the day. Go have some fun. I feel like this day is severely lacking in fun." Elena looked at Caroline who smiled back knowingly. Elena pretended to nod reluctantly in agreement, although inside she was forming a plan.

"Yeah. Okay, fine." she lied causing Stefan to smile. "Then, we'll go to her party and show her that she can't intimidate me. I just have to go home and change first." she continued as she waved goodbye to Caroline and left.

Stefan took Elena home and went back to school, leaving Elena to grab a change of clothing before she headed to the boarding house as she intended to change when she got there. She had had enough of Rebekah and she just wanted her out of their lives for good. It was partly her fault that Elena was a vampire, Matt had no truck because of her, and not only that, she had she tortured Damon and she'd slept with him (the latter bothered her more than she'd care to let on to anyone). Elena started to think about her plan. As Rebekah wasn't their Original sire, Elena would be able to kill her with no personal repercussions as neither she nor her friends would die as a result. Knowing that Damon was with Ric when he died, meant that Damon must have the white oak stake stashed somewhere, all she had to do was find it. When she arrived at the boarding house, she was happy to find it empty, so she went straight to Damon's bedroom and began searching through his drawers and closet for what she was looking for.

"Hope you plan on cleaning this up." Elena was so busy searching for the stake, that she hadn't heard Damon get back to the house, so hearing Damon's voice completely startled her and she nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned round to face him.

"I need bourbon to get through Rebekah's party. Yours is better than Stefan's." Elena lied, hoping that Damon wouldn't see straight through her.

"Top drawer in the dresser." Damon told her pointing towards the dresser in question.

"Thanks." Elena said, trying to sound relieved as she walked over to the drawer and opened it whilst Damon pulled out a silver hip flask from his pocket and took a swig from it.

Realizing she'd been duped, Elena pulled out a pair of black briefs and held them up. "You keep alcohol in your underwear drawer?" Elena asked Damon sarcastically turning round to face him.

"No." Damon smirked as Elena threw the briefs back into the drawer. "But, you weren't looking for alcohol, were you?" Damon asked as Elena looks at him guiltily and also slightly annoyed that Damon could read her so well. "Do you think I'd _actually_ leave the last remaining white oak stake where any vampire could just walk in and take it?" he asked as he unbuttoned his shirt, alerting Elena to the blood from a healed wound on his shoulder.

"What happened to you?" Elena asked with concern.

"Hunter mishap." Damon replied nonchalantly as he examined the area where the wound had been.

"You know he was at my school today?" Elena asked him, as she walked over to him.

"Yep. Jeremy told me." Damon replied.

"Why were you talking to Jeremy?" Elena asked, worried that Damon was going to get Jeremy involved with some idiotic plan to get rid of the hunter.

"Don't worry about it." he reassured her as he began to take his shirt off.

"Damon, don't bring him into this." Elena trained her eyes on Damon's face, knowing that if she didn't concentrate hard, her eyes would inevitably start to roam all over his gorgeous body.

"Cherish the thought that he might actually be useful, Elena." Damon said as he began to undo the belt on his pants. Elena's eyes ignored her mind and they wandered down to watch what he was doing. She was using every part of her mind trying not to lose control and grab hold of him, strip him naked and indulge in all manner of dirty things that she couldn't have even imagined as a human. Being around a semi naked Damon was proving more difficult than being around April as she lay bleeding to death.

"You staying for the show or...?" Damon asked as he unbuttoned his pants, snapping Elena back to reality as she realized she'd subconsciously taken a step closer to him whilst he was undressing, leaving only a couple of inches between their bodies and Elena breathing heavily in a state of arousal. Unfortunately now she was aware of how keen the vampire sense of smell was, she embarrassingly aware that Damon would know the effect he was having on her.

"I'm finding that stake." Elena said determinedly trying to bring herself back to reality as she walked out of the room. She wasn't sure if she would be able to control herself if she spent another moment longer in his bedroom with him.

"You wait in the parlor, I'll bring it down when I'm done." Damon called after her, she could almost hear the triumphant smirk in his voice.

Elena went to Stefan's room and changed before heading down to the parlor to wait for Damon. Elena sat on one of the couches in the parlor as Damon emerged newly dressed in black carrying the white oak stake in his hand. He walked over to the wet bar with it and put it down whilst he poured himself a drink before looking up at her.

"I hope this is not for Klaus." Damon took a sip of his whiskey. "He might be an annoying little shit, but I'm not quite ready to die yet."

"It's for Rebekah." Elena offered.

"Ah Barbie Klaus. Now that's more like it." Damon smirked. "So what's your plan?"

"She's having a party at hers later. And I've been invited..." Elena told Damon, who raised his eyebrows in surprise at that comment. "I'm hoping that whilst she's got her guard down I can take her by surprise. I've done it before when I was human. She has weaknesses and is easily distracted when people are being nice to her."

"So I take it you're going to compel some unsuspecting person to be nice to her..." Elena nodded, standing up as Damon moved away from the wet bar with his drink in one hand and the stake in the other. "Maybe compel them to keep her occupied whilst you stab her in the back?" Damon asked seductively as he walked over to Elena until they were only a couple of inches apart. Elena gulped and nodded again, his mere presence was sending her into a tizzy. "Good plan, I like it." Damon whispered with a smile on his face as he handed her the white oak stake, their hands brushing together sending jolts of electricity through Elena's body. "Keep it well hidden from everyone, including Stefan, and make sure that nobody knows you have it. I want it back when you've finished." Damon whispered into her ear from behind her as she put the stake in her bag.

"Thank you Damon. I'll keep it safe, I promise." Elena turned her head around to look at him, they stared at each other momentarily before Elena heard a noise. Damon was back over by the wet bar in a flash.

"Hello Stefan." Damon said pouring himself another drink as Elena made her way to the entrance towards Stefan who she kissed on the cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Damon watching their interactions with interest.

"Bye Damon." Elena called turning round to face Damon who in turn only smirked in response, before she left for the party with Stefan who simply ignored Damon.

By the time Stefan and Elena reached Rebekah's house, the party was already in full swing. There were already people outside, drinking from beer kegs and having a good time. Elena and Stefan made their way to the entrance of the house and stepped straight in through the doorway.

"Wow, we didn't have to be invited in. I wonder who used to live here." Stefan asked.

"Or who died here." Elena added as they stopped walking. Elena spotted Rebekah and she started to feel incredibly angry again.

"You're fixating." Stefan warned her.

"No, I'm just quietly hating." Elena said quietly trying to reassure him.

"This is mine now." Stefan said compelling a boy who was walking past them with a cup of beer in his hand to give Stefan his drink. "Thank you." Stefan said to the boy before handing the beer to Elena. "Why don't you have a drink? It'll help you let go." Elena took the cup from Stefan and was about to take a sip when she saw April walking across the room.

"April's here. I'm gonna go say hi." Elena told Stefan.

"And I am going to find something a little stronger than beer." Stefan told her.

"Okay." Elena replied as she and Stefan walked off in opposite directions, Stefan towards alternative alcohol supplies and Elena into the kitchen where she found April standing alone at the island in the center of the room.

"Hey." Elena said as she walked over to greet her.

"Elena! Thank God, I know someone." April said with a huge smile on her face.

"I'm glad you came. Are you thirsty?" Elena asked as she offered April a drink.

"You know, you used to read me bedtime stories." April reminded Elena as she looked at the beer, smiling.

"And now I'm giving you beer. Sounds about right." Elena grinned at the irony causing April to laugh, as she took the cup from Elena's hand and drank it.

"Mmm, if my dad could see me now." April mused sadly.

"How are you doing with everything?" Elena asked.

"I'm trudging through my denial phase. Dreaming up conspiracy theories." April told her as Elena frowned sadly. "My first weekend home from boarding school, my dad smelled cigarette smoke on my clothes before I even walked in the door. He would have noticed a gas leak in the house." April explained her problem with the gas explosion theory.

"So, you...you don't think that it was an accident?" Elena asked.

"I know there's no investigation, that everyone's calling it an accident. But, the shooting at the church? It just feels like..." April stopped to think as Rebekah joined them.

"Like something wicked is coming this way? I know, right? It's like this town's cursed or something." Rebekah offered as she walked into the room.

"Hey, April, why don't you go look around the house, and I'll find you in a little bit?" Elena suggested.

"Okay." April said sounding confused before leaving the kitchen.

"Did I forget to uninvite you?" Rebekah asked sarcastically.

"Did you blow up her dad's house to get revenge on the Council?" Elena asked, hoping the answer would be yes to give her an extra excuse for killing Rebekah.

"I don't give a _damn_ about some dodgy, middle-aged Council." Rebekah scoffed angrily. "You come into _my_ house, throw around false accusations and then you have the nerve to drink _my_ beer?" Rebekah took the cup from Elena's hand and smirked as she took a sip of the beer, when suddenly Elena started to hear a sizzling noise causing her to look down at her hand where she saw that the sun was burning her when she realized that her ring is missing.

"My ring!" Elena cried as Rebekah smiled as Elena vamp-sped into a dark corner of the room whilst Rebekah held up Elena's daylight ring in front of her.

"Give it back!" Elena shouted.

"Get it yourself." Rebekah told her as she threw the ring down the drain of the sink.

"No!" Elena tried to move out of the dark but she was again burned by the sun. Rebekah smiled before she turned on the garbage disposal and walks out of the room.

Taking a deep breath Elena vamp-sped towards the sink and stuck her hand down the plug hole, as she managed to grab the ring out of the drain, all the while her flesh burning. Luckily she managed to put the ring back on her finger just in time to prevent her from going up in flames. Elena furiously walked over to her bag on the counter top, and took out the white oak stake. Just as she started to leave the kitchen to follow Rebekah, she was stopped by Stefan who suddenly appeared right in front of her.

"Damon give that to you?" he asked.

"Yes. Reluctantly." Elena lied. "Stefan, she's not gonna stop. She's just gonna keep pushing and pushing..."

"Well, if you want to kill her..." Stefan interrupted before stepping aside and gestured towards the hallway. "...I'm not gonna stop you. But see, here's what will happen. It'll feel really good for about ten seconds, and then after that, tens of thousands of vampires all over the world will start to die. Every vampire she ever turned will die. See, rage is a really powerful feeling. But guilt? Take it from me... it'll destroy you. So, you can either go after her, or you can get on the back of my motorcycle and we can get the hell out of here." Stefan smiled and held out his hand. Elena sighed reluctantly before handing him the stake and walking out of the house and down into the front yard.

"Leaving so soon?" Rebekah asked with a fake pout on her face as Elena stopped on the porch to turned around and face her.

"No. Not just yet." Elena looked at Stefan and handed him her bag. "I never got a drink." She smirked at Rebekah, before walking over to the keg, placing her hands on the sides of the keg and doing a handstand. She felt someone stick the beer hose in her mouth and she started to drink as everyone around her starts shouting, "Chug! Chug! Chug!" After a few moments, Elena got off the keg, stood up and wiped beer from her mouth.

" _Now_ I'm ready to go." Elena smiled as she got on the back of Stefan's bike.

Stefan took them out for a ride through the countryside. Elena decided that now she was immortal, she could get a little more adventurous. This realization prompted her to remove her arms from around Stefan's waist and put them on his shoulders so she could stand up on the seat. Once she'd stood up and happy that she was well balanced, she let go of Stefan and spread her arms out wide so she could revel in the feel of the breeze rushing past her.

As much as it felt good to let go in that moment, Elena knew something wasn't right. A few months ago, this would have impressed her, just like being taken to the top of the Ferris wheel. Yes they were having fun, but that's what kids did, not adults and she wasn't a kid anymore. As she got back down and put her arms around Stefan's waist, she began to wonder if she'd out-grown him. She was biologically older than him, and it had started to occur to her if vampires only emotionally matured up until the age they were turned. She decided to put that thought to the back of her mind for the time being as they approached the driveway to the boarding house. Instead Elena thought now would be a good time to show Stefan why she chose him, hoping that it would help him with his insecurities about Damon.

Once back in Stefan's bedroom, Elena pushed Stefan down onto his bed to straddle him as she wanted to take control for a change. Their lips met and Stefan began kissing her passionately. Pulling back, Elena sat back up to look down at him. Stefan tried to sit up as well but Elena pushed him back down on the bed. Elena began to vamp-out hoping Stefan might find it appealing, however, Stefan made his feelings clear as he vamp-sped himself on top of her so that again he could be the one in control. Elena was a little disappointed by Stefan's actions, but ignored it as they began kissing again. Elena's thoughts once again turned to Damon and to whether Damon would let her take control if he was the one who was kissing her, not Stefan. Whilst she was thinking about Damon, the kisses had suddenly moved away from Elena's lips, instead he was kissing one side of Elena's neck, then chest, then the other side of her neck. Elena remembered when Damon had kissed her like this in Denver, except it had been this and so much more, and that was how it felt as a human, she wondered what his kisses would feel like as a vampire. Suddenly Stefan stopped kissing her and Elena looked up at him, but instead of seeing Stefan, it was Damon she saw hovering above her.

"No!" Elena cried as she pushed 'Damon' off of her as she knew she wasn't with Damon, which meant something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked as Elena began to breathe heavily before pulling up her sleeve revealing dark red and black marks creeping up her arm.

"Stefan. What's wrong with me?" Elena panicked as she pulled up her other sleeve only to reveal the same marks on the other arm.

"Damon said the hunter had werewolf venom." Stefan replied, his voice filled with horror.

"Oh my God." Elena cried as the severity of the situation took hold and Elena began burning up very quickly. Stefan picked up his phone and started making calls. Elena was feeling too ill to know who he was talking to.

"Hey." Stefan said causing Elena to smile at him. Feeling weak from the werewolf venom running through her, she momentarily closed her eyes. When she reopened them she saw Damon sat where Stefan once was and started to become confused.

"Why am I thinking about you?" She asked the Damon figure.

"Because you're a vampire now." he told her softly. "And part of you knows you're a lot more like me than you are like him."

"What's wrong, love?" Elena suddenly heard Klaus's voice in the room addressing her like a little child.

"She has werewolf venom in her system." She heard Stefan tell him. "You know you're the only one that can heal her, Klaus. _Please._ "

"And what would you have done if I were no longer here? Hm? If you and your friends had succeeded in ridding the world of me? Let's play that game for a moment, shall we?" Klaus asked.

"Whatever you want from me..." Stefan begged.

"I don't want anything from _you_." Klaus replied as approached Elena and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Her, on the other hand...If you had told me a few hours ago, I wouldn't have cared a lick about her dying. But, as it turns out..." Elena heard Klaus bite into his wrist. "You may be of use to me after all." Elena felt Klaus place his wrist in her mouth and she began to drink his blood.

"Yes. There we go." Elena heard Klaus say softly as he pulled his wrist away.

It took around half an hour for Elena to feel fully healed enough to be ready to head back home. Stefan had offered for her to stay the night at the boarding house, but she didn't want to leave Jeremy alone, especially with the hunter roaming around. Another reason she wanted to go home was because she needed time alone to think the day's events and her physical reaction to Damon. Although she'd been hallucinating Damon earlier, the words _'Part of you knows you're a lot more like me than you are like him.'_ They had now become etched in her brain and she was beginning to wonder if they might be true.

Tired from thinking and exhausted by the what had happened to her in the last few hours, Elena called Matt to see if she could feed a little when she got back so that she could regain her strength from the werewolf venom. As usual Matt agreed to meet her at her house at seven, to let her feed from him. Wanting to get home as quickly as possible, Elena turned to leave, kissing Stefan on the cheek before making her way back home.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Elena arrived home exhausted just after six. The first thing she did was shower as she felt sticky from sweat caused by the symptoms of the werewolf venom. Seeing as she'd got time before Matt was due, Elena decided to call Jeremy. He eventually answered just as she thought she was going to go through to voicemail.

"Hey Jer." Where are you? Have you eaten yet?" Elena asked.

"Hi sis." Jeremy answered. "I...um...yeah I've eaten."

"Where are you?" she asked again.

"Just on my way over to the Grill." he told her. "I was hoping to run into Matt."

"He's coming here for me to feed from him." Elena winced at how that must have sounded to her brother. "I fed this morning but I went to Rebekah's party and was poisoned with werewolf venom."

"Werewolf venom?" Jeremy asked shocked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Jer." she reassured him. "Stefan managed to get hold of Klaus who fed me some of his blood."

"Um...why would Klaus do that?" Jeremy asked. "Klaus never does anything without expecting stuff back. Who did Stefan offer to kill?"

"Nobody." Elena told him. "Maybe he was trying to prove a point."

"And what would that be?" Jeremy asked.

"That we need him and not to try finding other ways to get rid of him, like desiccation." Elena suggested, although she remembered Klaus's words perfectly about her being useful again, she didn't want to worry Jeremy.

"Hmm. Still sounds too good to be true if you ask me." Jeremy mused. "If I'd have known you were going to that party I would have stopped you. I knew the Hunter had werewolf venom."

"And how did you know that?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"He venom-jacked Tyler whilst he was in hospital. Didn't you know?" Jeremy asked.

"Obviously not." Elena said sarcastically. "Otherwise I wouldn't have gone."

Elena heard a knock on the door, and noticed that it was almost seven. "I gotta go Jer." she told him. "Matt's here."

"Cool...no problem." Jeremy said. "Can you tell Matt to come over to the Grill after you're done?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." Elena told him. "See you later Jer." she added.

"See you later." Jeremy replied as they both hung up.

Elena went to the door and opened it to a sheepish looking Matt. She beckoned him in and they headed to the kitchen.

"Elena, hey! If I had known you were gonna go to that party, I never would have told Connor about Rebekah." he apologized.

"I already had this conversation with Jeremy. There's no way you guys could have known that I would go, I mean, I was surprised that I went." Elena admitted shaking her head as Matt started to roll up his sleeve. "Stefan warned me that I would feel things more powerfully, but Matt, the hatred that I felt today? I almost...I almost _killed_ her, in front of everyone, in the middle of a party. That's not me. At least, it didn't...it didn't used to be." she continued.

Matt smiled. "Honestly, Elena, Rebekah kind of deserves it."

"Yeah, but it's not just about Rebekah, it's about my mind." Elena carried on talking as Matt removed the bandage from his wrist to allow Elena to feed on him.

"I'm having these terrible thoughts... these violent images and I... it's all driven by one simple thing: this _hunger_." Elena growled feeling her canines elongate and the veins tickle around her eyes as she began to drink from Matt's wrist.

The combination of the werewolf venom and Elena's thoughts being consumed by the rage she felt for Rebekah meant that she needed more blood to satisfy her hunger. A hunger that was taking over every sense in her body, it felt good and she didn't want to stop and even if she did, she wasn't sure if she could stop.

"Hey, Elena. Matt said in a worried voice. "Are you sure you want to take that much?" Elena however ignored him and continued to drink."Elena. Elena, that hurts. Elena. Elena!" Matt cried, but Elena needed the blood and her prey's cries for help just fueled her need. Grabbing Matt by the throat, she vamp-sped him against a cabinet and began to feed even harder. "Elena! Elena!" she heard her prey's voice shout in panic.

Elena heard a whooshing noise and the scent alerted her to Damon being in the room and suddenly she was being pulled away from her food. Elena growled as she tried to rush back towards him, but Damon pushed her back.

"Stop! Stop." Damon shouted at her as suddenly Elena started to return to normal and looked at Matt. Matt looked at her terrified as Elena realized what she'd done. Shock began to take over, tears forming in her eyes as she began to cry in fear of her own actions.

"Oh my God. Matt, I'm sorry. I'm so-I'm so sorry. I didn't-I didn't mean to." Elena begged as Damon walked towards Matt and stared at him in the eyes.

"It's okay." Damon told Matt, clearly compelling him. "Forget what just happened. You came over, she fed a little bit, and you left. Now go home." Matt turned around and immediately left before Damon turned and looked at Elena.

"What have I done?" Elena asked, her voice shaking as Damon walks over towards her.

"Nothing you should be ashamed of." Damon said softly. "You are a _vampire_ now. You just have to learn the right way to _be_ one. And I'm gonna teach you." He comforted her as he pushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. Realizing that this is what Damon had meant about the blood lust, she knew she had to do something about her feeding issue.

Elena reluctantly nodded in agreement. She needed to learn how to gain control over her blood lust as she was starving herself, and she couldn't keep using Matt as a juice box. She needed to have the confidence to be able to go out and feed and know she could walk away without hurting anyone. On the plus side, it would give her chance to spend more time with Damon, who's company she was desperately missing. She just had to find a way to tell Stefan without hurting him or him getting jealous.

The next morning Stefan and Elena were out in the woods as he was helping Elena continue her training from where Ric had left off before he died. Elena knew that again Damon would have been the better option to train with as he had been part of her training program with Ric, but she knew Stefan wouldn't approve. It had occurred to her before she'd gone to bed last night that all of the things she was doing with Stefan, were things she was used to doing with Damon, except when she did them with Damon, she was sure they'd been more fun. She was also beginning to realize that her conversations with Stefan's were a little stilted since they'd gotten back together. There was also the issue of sex. Something just didn't feel right about being with him. Like everything else, he wanted to be in control of everything, which was why she hadn't been looking forward to telling him about her trip with Damon. Fortunately for Elena, Damon had already broken the news and all Elena had to do was justify her choice of going with Damon without making Stefan jealous.

"I know it's crazy but I almost killed Matt last night." Elena explained. "Damon had to rip me off of him and then compel him to forget. Call it 'Doppelgänger curse' or whatever, but I'm struggling with the blood lust, just even being near fresh blood sets me off. The animal blood is disgusting so instead I want to try to drink from a blood bag, but I need to control the blood lust first." She dodged an arrow that Stefan shot at her which ended up lodged in a tree behind her.

"A little slow. I almost got you." Stefan chuckled.

"That's why we're not using the wood ones for hunter defense class." Elena retorted as she took the arrow out of the tree and threw it back at him, which he also dodged, causing Elena to smile.

"What about Caroline? She's a genius at self-control." Stefan asked. Elena knew he'd do anything to stop her going with Damon, but Caroline rarely fed from the vein.

"She's too good. She doesn't understand how hard it is and you...well, I know what being around too much blood does to you, so...I can't put you through that." Elena lied as Stefan rushed towards her, grabbing her from behind before pointing an arrow at her heart.

"So I guess that leaves Damon, huh?" Stefan asked as Elena flipped him over her, landing him on the ground allowing her to sit on top of him and place the arrow against his neck as if to choke him.

"Don't be jealous. You know I wish it could be you." Elena lied again.

"Fine, you wish it could be me." He sat up sounding skeptical so Elena put her arms around his neck.

"We're crashing Bonnie's trip to Whitmore College. The professor that took over her Grams' classes, he invited her. Listen to me." Elena cupped his face. "You are the one who's getting me through this, no matter who teaches me how to feed." Elena reassured him.

"Okay." Stefan conceded as He vamp-sped them into a tree. "Just be careful, okay?" Stefan warned her. "The blood, the feed...It's easy to get caught up in it."

"I will. I promise." Elena told him as they place their foreheads together before heading back to the house for Elena to prepare for her trip.

The drive to Whitmore college took approximately two hours. When they finally arrived Damon pulled the Camaro outside the front of the school and he, Elena and Bonnie got out.

"Are you sure that you're okay with this?" Elena asked Bonnie.

"If I could spell you out of wanting blood, I would, but I can't, so better you learn this now than at freshmen orientation." Bonnie answered honestly.

"Something tells me that college isn't in my future anymore." Elena said sadly.

"Oh, stop with the pity party." Damon demanded. "If I can go to college, you can go to college."

"You went to college?" Bonnie laughed.

"Sure, plenty of times. I always had a thing for sorority girls." Damon smirked.

"You're disgusting." Bonnie put on the most judgy voice she could.

"I _know_." Damon whispered lecherously as Elena and Bonnie walked off leaving Damon to follow behind them as they headed towards Professor Shane's lecture.

By the time they arrived, his class was well underway and they had to sneak in quietly so as not to disturb the lecture. They picked a row close to the back so not to cause too much disruption.

" _When I say the word "witch", what pops into your head?"_ Professor Shane asked, when nobody answered he continued. _"Halloween costume? Villain of a fairy tale? Maybe an ex-girlfriend? Well, whatever image it is it's probably not Tanyell Soso of Montego, Cameroon."_

Bonnie, Elena and Damon all sat down as Elena and Bonnie stared at Professor Shane. "Is that him?" Elena whispered to Bonnie.

"Yeah." Bonnie confirmed.

"He's kind of..." Elena searched for the right word to use to describe him.

"Hot." Bonnie replied causing Elena to smile and Damon to roll his eyes.

" _Now, in reality, or in this reality at least, witches appear to cross every culture in history. They're the architects of the supernatural; responsible for everything that goes_ _bump in the night from ghosts to vampires to doppelgängers."_ Professor Shane continued with his lecture about witches.

"What is this guy, Witch-apedia?" Damon quietly joked causing Elena to laugh.

"Shhh, shut up." Bonnie snapped.

" _Now, if you're a skeptic, you'd call that a coincidence. But, if you're a true believer, you know that there's really no such thing. It scares the crap out of us."_ Professor Shane talked on in the background.

"What if I'm a Ripper?" Elena whispered to Damon.

"You're not a Ripper." Damon insisted.

"What if I am?" Elena asked.

"Well then, pick someone and we'll find out." Damon suggested. Elena looked at him and he raised his eyebrows in encouragement. Elena opted to just go with the flow and started to look at the other people in the classroom, starting with a boy in the front of the class who was playing with his pen, as Damon evaluated her options.

"Stoner guys are no good to grab." Damon explained. "They're too paranoid and you don't want the extra buzz." The fact that Damon was picky came as a surprise to Elena. As the guy was a no go, they looked further down the row so Damon could go through the types to look out for. "Now, she is a fun size, a tutor." Damon indicated at a dark haired girl in glasses. "Geeky girls are inherently suspicious of anyone who is nice to them. What you want..." Damon said as he place his arm around Elena's shoulder and pointed at a girl. "...is the little blonde, pretty girl. Self absorbed, easily flattered, you just have to separate her from the pack and make your move." Elena felt like she was listening to a wildlife documentary on some predator hunting it's prey, when she realized that it was exactly what they were doing.

"Am I interrupting you guys?" Professor Shane asked Damon and Elena who both quickly turned to look at him. "Or is it maybe the other way around?" he asked.

"Sorry." Elena mumbled.

"I was just saying how much I love witches." Damon smiled opting to use his charm on the Professor.

"Yeah, you and me both, brother." Professor Shane agreed. "Alright, listen, we should probably talk about the readings that none of you did." he continued talking to the rest of the class as Elena looked at Damon and smiled before they left.

Damon and Elena left Bonnie to talk to the Professor whilst they waited outside for the class to empty so that they could follow the young blonde girl Damon had pointed out as an ideal meal. Whilst they were waiting Damon had been explaining what Elena needed to do. Once the class emptied they began to follow the girl in question.

"She's young and healthy; she'll heal up like a charm." Damon tried to reassure Elena cheerfully. "Just keep your eye on the ball. Okay?"

"It's not a game, Damon." Elena told him in an exasperated tone.

"Fine, it's not a game." Damon sounded frustrated. "It's a high stakes dangerous maneuver. Now, just go, just like we practiced. That's all you have to do." He instructed as Elena walked up to the girl from behind.

"Hey!" Elena called, prompting the girl to turn around. "You're in my Anthro class, right?" Elena asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." The girl replied, a little confused as she didn't appear to recognize Elena's face.

"I totally spaced and forgot to get the reading list. Do you have it?" Elena asked innocently.

"Sure." the girl replied. "Uh...let me check." She offered as she looked at her phone for the reading list. Elena grabbed the girl's wrist and started to compel her.

"This isn't going to hurt. Please don't scream." Elena instructed her before she looked down at the girl's phone and saw a picture of her with a younger girl. "Who's that?" she asked.

"It's my little sister." the girl replied.

"Get out of here. Go back to class." Elena told her hearing Damon sigh in frustration, as the girl walked away. Elena felt disappointed in herself, because she knew she couldn't do it.

Damon walked over to her. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"I just...I saw the picture and I..." Elena stammered, not knowing how to explain her hesitancy as Damon would never understand.

"Everybody is someone's uncle or father or camp counselor or bible study teacher." Damon rolled his eyes. "Elena, you don't know these people, why do you care?" he asked.

"I care because I'm still me." Elena argued back. "I still have the same feelings, Damon. Sorry if that spoils your master plan to turn me into a super vampire." she finished as Bonnie walked up to them.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing." Damon shook his head in mock defeat. "Elena is educating me on the importance of feelings." Damon smiled sarcastically.

"Did you talk to the professor?" Elena asked Bonnie, trying to change the subject.

"For a second. He found some stuff of my Grams' in his office and he's gonna dig it up for me. Oh, uh, this." Bonnie told her, handing Elena a flier for a fraternity murder house party.

"Oh, nice." The answer to all of our problems. A frat party: douche central." Damon smiled as he rubbed his hands together. "Which is why, you will be eating very well tonight." He smirked as Bonnie threw a look of disgust in his direction. "So, what should we go as? Victims or killers?" he asked innocently.

Later that evening, Elena, Damon, and Bonnie headed to the murder party together. Damon was dressed as Jack the Ripper in a tall hat and black cape, Elena and Bonnie were his prostitute victims and had opted for Victorian style corsets, short skirts and fishnets. The plan was for Bonnie to meet up with Professor Shane whilst Damon would be teaching Elena how to feed without killing her prey. As they got to the door they were greeted by a college student with a drink in his hand.

"Hey. I'm Frankie, unassuming serial killer." he introduced himself to them, holding up his glass as a woman arrived with a tray of drinks, which they all took.

"I'm Jack." Damon introduced himself as they all took a drink "And these are the two lovely ladies I just...Rippered." Elena realized and knew that from the way he said it, Damon had also just comprehended the double irony of his statement, considering one of the purposes of attending the party was to ensure that she herself wasn't a ripper, the other part being that his brother was indeed a ripper.

"Welcome to the Murder House, Bloody Mary's are free until midnight. Enjoy yourselves." Frankie smiled as he walked away leaving them to look around.

"Well hats off to these idiots" Damon took his hat off and puts it back on as he spied Professor Shane. "Oh look, Professor Creepy." he pointed out Professor Shane standing on the stairs talking to a girl.

"His name is Professor Shane. And he's not creepy." Bonnie said defensively making eye contact with Professor Shane before handing Elena her drink. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

"You do that." Damon told her as Bonnie headed towards Professor Shane, leaving Damon and Elena alone as to join the party looking around measuring up their potential prey.

"Inebriated sleazeballs all covered in blood. Come on. Pick one." Damon told Elena as they watched Bonnie walk up the stairs to Professor Shane, practically giving them the all clear away from her disapproving eyes.

Feeling under less pressure after Bonnie had left, Elena began looking for her first victim. It didn't take long for her to notice a guy slipping something into a girl's drink. "I think I found one." Elena smiled, realizing that she was doing the girl a favor by feeding from him, he was a menace.

"Roofie guy?" Damon asked.

"Mhm." Elena replied.

"Nice choice." Damon said proudly. "Go get him." Taking Damon's advice Elena confidently walked over to the roofie guy and bumped into him.

"Oh.. I'm sorry...Drink?" She asked flirtatiously as she handed him Bonnie's drink.

"Sure." The guy answered as they smiled at each other and Elena walked away seductively leaving no doubt that she wanted him to follow her. "I'll be right back" The guy said to the girl he'd roofied, before following Elena into a quiet room where they were alone.

"Great party, right?" he asked, mouth agape as he eyed up Elena and moving over to kiss , clearly not believing his luck that such a hot girl wanted to make out with him.

"Yeah." Elena smiled before she threw him against a wall. "You're not gonna make a sound." she compelled him before she bit into him and began to drink. She picked up Damon's scent meaning he must be close by to watch over her.

"Now remember the idea is _not_ to kill him." Damon instructed as Elena continued drinking. "Elena." he demanded as she still kept on drinking "Step away from the ledge" Elena!" Damon whispered before she finally stopped feeding, her mouth dripping with blood, but she didn't care. It was a murder party after all.

"Leave and forget about this." Elena compelled her victim, as he walked out Elena began to smile.

"Nice touch. How do you feel?" Damon asked.

"I feel good." Elena wiped her mouth laughing before she hugged Damon."I want more." she whispered seductively into his ear as he hugged her back even tighter.

Elena and Damon headed back to the dance floor and began dancing with two girls. Damon took one of the girls he was dancing with and seductively bit her neck as Elena watched before he started to drink from her. Elena continued to dance with her own girl and realized that nobody would think anything of it if she were to feed in the open like Damon was doing.

Elena turned to face her girl. "Don't scream." Elena compelled her. "This isn't gonna hurt." she said as she tilted the girl's head over, bit her neck and started to drink, but noticing Damon had finished with his girl, she stopped feeding from her own. Not caring about the blood dripping down her chin, she let go of the girl and began to dance again, this time heading towards Damon who has been watching her from across the room and had started to walk towards her.

Elena smiled, Feel So Close by Calvin Harris was pumping out of the speakers. As Damon approached her, she could see the blood dripping from Damon's face which for some strange reason she found it made Damon appear sexier than ever. Damon wrapped Elena's arms around his neck as she straddled his left leg, they then began to dance together like from the movie 'Dirty Dancing'. Damon put his right arm around her waist and stroked her hair with the other. Elena ran her hand across Damon's neck, wiping away the excess blood from his chin before licking it from her fingers.

For the first time since her parents had died Elena felt free. The only person there who she knew and who could judge her for letting go never would. For a tiny moment, they stared at each other intensely as they continued to dance and Elena felt a little something inside her shift, although she couldn't put her finger on it. The sexy dancing was increasingly turning Elena on and she wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off and for him to take her right then and there. She didn't care if she were in a room full of people, as far as she was concerned there was only one other person in the room who mattered, and that was Damon.

That feeling however didn't last long as Elena noticed Bonnie on the other side of the room looking at her completely shocked. Bonnie's expression alone caused Elena to come down from her high and snap back to reality. She couldn't let Bonnie see her like this.

"Oh my God. Oh my God." Elena cried out and stopped dancing as Damon tried to stroke her cheek, but she backed off and walked away towards Bonnie leaving Damon dancing alone as he watched her leave.

"I've got to get out of here." Elena told Bonnie as she walked past her best friend.

Bonnie continued to stare and throw dirty looks at Damon who was still dancing. Elena stormed across the lawn outside the fraternity house, wiping the blood off her mouth, followed closely behind by Bonnie. Elena turned to face her, not knowing what to say and who or what to blame.

"Who am I? Why am I acting like this?" Elena asked

"Because you listened to Damon and Damon makes everything he wants sound like a good idea." Bonnie offered.

"I should be here with Stefan. I shouldn't be here with him. I should be going through all this with Stefan." Elena said trying to make excuses for her behavior, when suddenly she heard Damon clear his throat, announcing his presence, Elena looked up and noticed he was standing behind Bonnie.

"Guessing we should hit the road." Damon stated matter of factly as Bonnie stormed over to him.

"You were supposed to help her and you let her get completely out of control." Bonnie growled at Damon.

"She's not out of control. She was having fun." Damon replied calmly.

"This isn't fun. She's acting like a different person." Bonnie snapped.

"She _is_ a different person. She's a vampire." Damon explained in a teacher like fashion. "We're a predatory species. We enjoy the hunt, the feed, and the kill. When the guilt gets too bad we switch off our humanity." Damon snapped his fingers to imitate flipping the switch. "And we revel in it." He looked at Elena and raised his eyebrows.

"Is that what you want? Her to be like you?" Bonnie shouted at him.

"She already is like me. And you know what makes me able to drink my fill and leave someone breathing and not rip their head off like my brother? It's that I can revel in it. I can make it fun." Damon sounded pissed off as he pushed past Bonnie, leaving both girls speechless. He took another look at a Elena as he walked right past her, which upset her as she knew that she should have defended him to Bonnie instead of letting him take the blame. Elena wondered if Damon had mistaken the look on her face for guilt at what they'd done instead of the guilt she was feeling from hurting him and letting him down. Elena didn't have much longer to think as Bonnie started to head back to Damon's car, quietly Elena followed.

When they finally got back, Damon and Elena walked onto the front porch of her house. They stopped and faced each other as they had done many times in the past. Elena wanted to talk about what had happened at the party, she had missed these moments that her and Damon used to share, especially when Stefan had been with Klaus, although right now this was probably the most awkward moment on the porch they'd ever spent together.

"Well then, goodnight." Damon said quietly before turning to leave.

"Damon, I'm sorry." Elena pleaded, hoping he'd understand. "Things got a little heated at the party and I shouldn't have let that happen. It's just that I... I feel like..."

Damon turned to face her. "What do you feel, Elena?" he asked.

"When you tell me what a vampire should be, deep down I believe you." Elena explained, although she wasn't entirely sure this was the question Damon was asking, but she felt it was the safest one to answer. "I think that you're right and I... I hate that feeling. Because I don't want to be..." Elena was now unsure of how to say what she wanted to say without offending him.

"You don't want to be like me." Damon simply stated. Elena didn't know how to respond to that statement. They'd always had a connection and now she was a vampire she understood him in a way that she'd fought for him to control when she was human. It wasn't that she didn't want to be like him, she just felt like a hypocrite admitting that she did. Fortunately, Elena was spared having to explain herself as her front door opened and there stood Stefan.

"Hey." Elena said to him, resorting to their current default of awkward greetings.

"Hey." Stefan said back.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Elena asked confused by his presence.

"I was just hanging out with Jeremy." Stefan told her. "We had a couple of things to talk to talk about." This confused Elena even more, as Jeremy and Stefan never 'hung out' together. Out of the two Salvatore brothers, Jeremy was closer to Damon, which Elena always thought odd considering that Damon had once killed him.

"Any news on the hunter?" Damon asked Stefan, breaking Elena from her thoughts on Stefan and Jeremy.

"No. No, nothing new." Stefan told him.

"Well then, today was a bust." Damon complained, prompting Elena to throw a sideways glance at him. He knew him teaching her to feed was successful, her issue was what type of vampire she was becoming and how becoming a vampire was changing her.

"She's all yours." Damon offered and left, leaving Elena feeling all alone despite Stefan being there as he walked towards her.

"So, uh, what happened?" Stefan asked.

"I learned how to feed without hurting someone." Elena told him, before trying to make him feel better. "It was awful." she lied. "You were right. I got caught up in it." The fact that she'd admitted getting caught up in it helped ease her guilt, she just hoped Stefan wasn't going to ask her or Damon to go into any details, although she suspected that Damon was gentleman enough to not say too much.

"Ah, it'll get easier." Stefan tried to console her.

"But I don't want it to get easier." Elena complained. "I can't live like this. Stefan, I'm feeling things that I don't... I don't want to feel and I'm becoming someone that I don't... I don't want to be. I don't think I'm gonna survive this." Elena knew her confession was only half truthful. She knew she'd survive it, she just didn't know if she could survive it with Stefan.

"Hey, yes you will. I promise." Stefan said gently.

"No." Elena protested.

"Yes. Hey." Stefan whispered as Elena started to cry. Stefan took her in his arms and held her as he gently caressed her hair. "You just have to hold on." he encouraged her, Elena closed her eyes as they stood wrapped in each other's arms for a few moments before Stefan let her go. "I'm going to head on back to the boarding house. Unless you want me to stay." he offered.

Elena pulled away and started to head inside. "It's okay." she said. "I'm tired and I just want some sleep. I'll be fine." she reassured him before she kissed him goodnight.

Stefan wished her goodnight and she waited until he'd gone before she closed the door and went to chat to Jeremy who was in the living room playing on the PlayStation.

"Hi." she asked. "How was your day?"

Jeremy paused his game before he turned round and smiled. "It was good thanks. You?"

"Mine went great." she told him. "Damon taught me how to feed and resist the blood lust without hurting anyone. What was Stefan doing here?" she asked.

"We were playing computer games all afternoon." he replied blankly.

Elena felt her stomach fall. She recognized the tone of voice he was using, it was the same as when he'd been compelled in the past. "Who won?" she asked trying to find a loophole to test her theory.

Jeremy frowned in confusion. "I don't know. Why?" he asked confirming her suspicions.

Elena put on a fake smile. "No reason." she told him. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight Jer."

"Night sis." Jeremy replied as Elena vamp sped upstairs to her room. Once she got there, Elena pulled out her phone and immediately called Damon.

"Miss me already?" he joked.

Elena sat down on her bed. "Has Stefan said anything about Jeremy to you?" she asked.

"No." he replied. "Why?"

"When I asked Jeremy what he'd been doing today, he said he'd been playing computer games with Stefan." she told him.

"Since when did Stefan start playing computer games?" Damon whispered, realizing that this conversation needed to be kept between just them. Elena heard water starting to run and she knew that Damon was making sure that Stefan wouldn't overhear their phone call.

"That's what I thought." Elena said. "So I asked Jeremy who won and he said he didn't know. He was definitely compelled Damon."

"That's...concerning." Damon said thoughtfully. "Stefan's terrible at compulsion, you should easily be able to break through it as you're stronger than him now you've been feeding on human blood."

"I don't want to use compulsion on Jeremy." Elena protested.

"Let's leave that as a last resort then. Maybe they were out buying you a Christmas present." Damon suggested.

"Not funny Damon." Elena growled. "What would Stefan want with Jeremy?"

Damon sighed. "It's probably something to do with the hunter. I mentioned to Klaus that Jeremy can see his invisible tattoo. Klaus then said something about him being one of 'The Five' whatever that means. I thought that the hunter was dead, but Liz called this morning and said that no remains were found at the explosion site. I sent Stefan to investigate whilst I was out teaching you how to feed. You heard what Stefan said on the porch, but it sounds like he wasn't telling the truth. I'm guessing Klaus needed Jeremy's artistic skills to play tattoo Pictionary and tag teamed him into his evil plan."

"So what do we do now?" Elena asked.

"Well Jeremy wouldn't be at home if he hadn't finished the tattoo. That means that for the time being Klaus doesn't need him." Damon told her. "I say we keep an eye on Stefan, pretend we know nothing, and just hope he screws up so we can find out what's going on and why he's lying."

"You're probably right Damon, there's not much we can do other than keep an eye on them both." Elena agreed.

"I know I am." Damon agreed softly. "Look, don't worry about it for now, just get some sleep, it's been a long day."

"Okay, I will. Goodnight Damon...Oh, and thank you for today. It meant a lot to me." Elena said.

"No problem Elena. Goodnight. " Damon replied before hanging up.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Elena woke up the next morning in her bed feeling extremely grumpy. She hated herself for dancing with Damon, but only because she was with Stefan, otherwise it had felt right. But in truth Elena was angry with Stefan, he was lying to her, involving Jeremy and on top of that compelling her brother without her permission. This was a major breach of trust. Knowing there was nobody she could physically turn to, she got out of bed, went to her desk and grabbed her diary before making her way over to her window seat where she sat down so she could pour her heart out to the blank pages of solace in front of her .

_Dear diary,_

_I know its been a while. A long while. I haven't needed... I haven't wanted to write this stuff down, but I don't want to say it out loud either. The thing is: I'm a vampire and I hate it. I feel hopeless, depressed, angry, but most of all, I'm scared. Part of me just wants to end it, but then I think of Jeremy. I'm all that he has left, so I need to find a way through this. No matter what it takes._

_The question is how to get through this without losing my friends, for example last night I went to a party with Damon and Bonnie so that Damon could teach me how to feed without hurting anyone. Bonnie left us alone for a while and Damon showed me what to do. I hate to admit it but I felt free, I loved it and I was having fun. But the problem is that Bonnie saw me and she wasn't happy. I was acting like Damon and she didn't approve. What if I am like Damon? Will my friends will hate me like they hate him? Can I pretend to be the old me and be happy? I need to know which is more important, being happy with myself or keeping my friends happy. At least I'll always have Damon and Jeremy, regardless of what choice I make._

_My other problem is Stefan and what he is up to. Why has he started lying to me again? He's up to something with Klaus and he's gotten Jeremy is involved. I know he has because I could tell that Jeremy had been compelled. I can't believe that Stefan would go behind my back and do that to Jeremy, I feel betrayed. But I also lied to Stefan last night. I told him that I hated feeding which wasn't true. I also didn't tell him that I dirty danced with Damon. Yes it was a mistake, I shouldn't have done it. But just because I chose Stefan, it doesn't mean that I automatically turned off my feelings for Damon. If I'm going to be completely honest, my feelings for Damon are even stronger now than they were before I turned. The strange thing is that my feelings for Stefan haven't heightened, which I'd have thought that they would have considering I love him._

_I'm so confused!_

_Elena_

Elena closed her diary, got up and put it away before she got showered and dressed. Once ready she decided to head out, but as she opened her bedroom door, Damon suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sauntered into her room.

"Excuse me? What are you doing?" Elena asked, confused as to why Damon was at her house.

"Where's Stefan?" he asked, ignoring her question, turning around to faced her.

"Okay, uh, good morning to you too." Elena replied smiling sarcastically.

"He's not answering his phone and he's not here, which you know, big deal, we've only got a killer vampire hunter on the loose." Damon elaborated upon his need to know where Stefan was.

"I haven't talked to him yet today." Elena told him

"Hmm." He mused as he walked towards Elena and held out his hand. "Give me your phone. Maybe he's dodging me."

"Why would he be dodging you?" Elena asked as she began to dig through her bag as she looked for her phone.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe the hot, sweaty dance party business." Damon suggested "I figured you spilled your guilty, little guts the minute I left last night." Damon winked but Elena didn't say anything, she just looked up at him guiltily giving away the fact she hadn't told Stefan. "Ohhh, you didn't tell him, did you?" he asked chuckling as a huge smile erupted all over his face.

"No, Damon. I didn't tell him that I got high on blood like some crackhead, and then dirty danced with you." Elena growled. "It was a mistake, okay? I wasn't myself and besides, he's already got enough to deal with trying to get me through this vampire stuff." Elena snapped, handing over her phone to Damon.

"No, I see, it's just a classic shame spiral." Damon teased as he dialled Stefan's number from Elena's phone.

"I'm not in a shame spiral." Elena ground her teeth.

"Oh, you so are." Damon smirked rolling his eyes. "Newbie vampire remorse? Oof, it's worse than a hangover." he teased, clearly loving the fact that Elena had lied to Stefan about what had happened.

"I'm not in a shame spiral, Damon." Elena retorted as she heard Stefan's voicemail come from her phone prompting Damon to hang up.

"So, either he's dodging both of us..." Damon frowned.

"...Or something's wrong." Elena finished.

Just then Damon's phone went off signalling a text message. He read the message before handing his phone for Elena to read what it out. " _Hunter at Mystic Grill with hostages. They all die at sundown!_ " she said frowning.

"Well it looks like Stefan has gone AWOL on us, so lets go for the next best thing for back-up." Damon suggested to a worried looking Elena. "Blondie." he clarified, rolling his eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

After half an hour and a number of phone calls later, Damon and Elena arrived at the Lockwood mansion to be greeted by an eager looking Tyler, who told them he was hell bent on killing the hunter after having been shot by him on more than one occasion. In the parlor they were greeted by Caroline who quickly left to make further calls for help with Damon's plan. Elena sat on the couch listening to Damon explain what he was planning whilst Tyler stood behind her, hands resting on the back of couch taking all of the information in. The purpose of the meeting was to come up with a plan of attack which Elena could see Damon was itching to get going.

"So, we each take a different entrance, hit them at the same time." Damon instructed the group whilst pacing up and down, just as Stefan walked in the room.

Although Elena was still pissed at Stefan, she was thankful that he was alive and hadn't been killed by the hunter, therefore the moment she saw him she got up and walked over to him. "Stefan!" Elena smiled with relief.

"Where the hell have you been?" Damon asked in an irritated tone as Stefan reached his arm out possessively towards Elena pulling her into an embrace.

"Coming up with a plan." Stefan quickly told them.

"Yeah, we have a plan. The plan is I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him." Damon grinned.

"That's not a plan. We need to be careful. Connor has Jeremy and who knows how many other hostages." Stefan protested.

"Hence, the open heart surgery." Damon explained.

"Damon's right. Connor's strong, but he's not going to be able to take all of us." Elena defended Damon being that she was just as eager as Damon to bring Connor down.

"I called in the hybrids to help too." Tyler offered as Caroline entered in the room.

"My mom put squad cars blocking the streets." Caroline informed them that she'd played her part in executing the plan. "They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go." This brought a smile to Damon's lips.

"Good, great. No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around." he announced.

"All right, hold on, you're not all going." Stefan demanded looking towards Caroline and Elena.

"He shot me like nine times. If we're killing him, I want in." Tyler insisted.

Elena turned to face Stefan. "He's got Jeremy. I'm going." she told him defiantly.

Stefan held his hands out in an effort to calm the group down. "Listen, nobody is going anywhere until I figure out what we're walking into." he told them.

Damon slowly walked over to Stefan."Until _you_ figure it out?" he asked suspiciously. "Is that where you've been all morning? Out buying bossy pants?"

"This guy is known for setting traps, right?" Stefan told them, seemingly in an effort to explain his reluctance to just barge in all guns blazing. "We'd be pretty dumb to walk into one, especially if he has werewolf venom."

"Does he?" Elena asked surprised by Stefan's intimate knowledge of the hunter.

"He's had it before." Stefan reminded her. Realizing he was right, Elena knew they might have to come up with another plan.

This potential new twist had put a kink in Damon's plan, which clearly made him angry but Elena could tell that Damon knew Stefan might be right."Fine. Fine, if you want to take some time to do re-con, you get one hour. But we're gonna need some extra help. So, where the hell's the Wicked Witch of the West?" he asked.

"She can't do magic." Caroline told him.

"Really?" Damon raised his eyebrows. "Well, call her, tell her Jeremy's life is in danger; maybe that will bring her out of retirement." he suggested before he stormed out of the room, hitting Stefan with his shoulder as he left. Elena looked at Stefan and before following Damon.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked as she caught up with Damon.

Damon stopped and turned to her. "I'm going to Ric's apartment." he told her. "That way I can see what's going on as it faces the grill. I can keep an eye on my little brother to see what shit he's up to and whilst I'm there waiting for my little brother to come up with some super master plan to get rid of this hunter, I'm going to raid Ric's stash of weapons and whiskey."

Elena looked around to make sure nobody was within earshot. "Do you think Stefan is up to something with Klaus?" she whispered. Damon nodded his head in response. "Can I come with you?" she asked, this time not caring who heard.

"Sure why not?" Damon replied before they set off to Ric's old apartment.

Soon after, Damon and Elena arrived at Ric's loft. Elena wandered over to the windows overlooking the Grill. She lifted the blinds only to see Stefan talking to someone on his phone before and then hanging up. Whilst Elena was watching Stefan, Damon was rummaging through one of Ric's chest of drawers looking for weapons. Elena turned around to see him take out some vervain darts and a mini crossbow, before throwing them on Ric's bed as they wouldn't be much use against the hunter.

"Who was he talking to?" Elena asked although she figured Damon knew about as much as she did.

"Bonnie, hopefully. Maybe she decided to make herself useful again." Damon said as he took out a large map and started to spread it on a table, a sugar jar on one of the corners and a phone on the other to stop the map from rolling back together.

"What is that?" Elena asked as she walked up to look at the map.

"It's our way in. Courtesy of Alaric Saltzman's interest in the Mystic Falls Underground Railroad." Damon explained to her as he took his phone from his inside jacket pocket.

"The tunnels, like the ones in the Lockwood cellar?" Elena asked.

"Bam!" Damon muttered to himself as he took a picture of the map with his phone. "Yep." he replied putting his phone away just as Elena's own cell phone began to ring.

Searching through her bag she pulled her phone out, seeing Stefan's name as the caller ID, she answered it and puts it straight to speakerphone. "What did you find out?" she asked.

"I can only make out the voices." Stefan replied.

"How many hostages?" Damon asked.

"Three." Stefan told them. "But Elena, it's Matt and April Young."

"What?!" Elena's eyes widened with fear.

"Those two idiots." Damon grumbled. "They're like danger magnets."

"We have to get them out of there." Elena begged.

"I just need a little more time." Stefan told them.

"Well, the clock's ticking, brother." Damon informed him.

"You know, I could do without the colored commentary." Stefan snapped as he hung up.

"I'm going in these tunnels." Elena warned as she started to walk off.

Damon grabbed her by the wrist and stopped her. "No, you're not. This guy doesn't know that you're a vampire, let's keep it that way."

"Well, maybe that's it. I can offer to trade myself in exchange for the hostages." she suggested as tried to leave again, but Damon refused let her go.

"No!" Damon insisted. "Best case scenario is now you're a hostage. Worst case scenario: he figures you out, kills you on the spot."

"Stop treating me like I can't handle myself." Elena complained as she managed to release her wrist from his grasp. "Alaric trained me and I've been practicing with Stefan." she said as she walked towards the door.

"So what?" Damon asked. "Now you're gonna take on a professional killer?" Elena turned and looked at him.

In a flash, Damon vamp-sped to the bed, grabbed the crossbow and pointed it directly at Elena's head. "Bang. You're dead. Now what?" he asked before Elena vamp-sped over to Damon, knocking the crossbow out of his hand and grabbing it whilst at the same time pushing Damon onto the bed. In a flash she'd ended up straddling his hips, pointing the crossbow straight at his heart.

"Head shot's no good, it has to be the heart." Elena informed him smugly, cocking her head to one side. "So, now you're dead."

Damon chuckled. "For someone who doesn't want to be like me, you sure are good at it." he said, slowly pushing Elena's hands away, so that the crossbow was no longer pointing a his chest.

"My brother is the only thing that's holding me together right now, Damon." Elena warned him. "If anything happens to him..."

"We'll get him out. I promise." Damon reassured her as she got up, releasing him from her hold.

Elena began to pace as Damon called Stefan to find out where he was. She walked over to the window and pulled the blinds apart again and looked down at the Grill. Right at this moment she was scared. She had to find a way of getting Jeremy out of there, and there was no way Stefan and Damon were going to leave her behind.

Damon hung up on Stefan and walked over to her. "Stefan is on his way." he told her. "This will be over soon."

"Will it?" Elena asked. "I mean, haven't we already been here before with Jeremy? Isn't this why we sent him to Denver?"

"Well, we'll get him out of this and we'll compel him down to the Bahamas. Maybe he'll find an island girl." Damon joked, causing Elena to give him a pointed look.

Just then Stefan arrived, interrupting their conversation. "Did you find the tunnel map?" he asked.

"Got it." Damon informed him. "It was in his weapons drawer along with seven stakes, some weird MacGyver crossbow, and the last remaining vervain in Mystic Falls, so how about we get this party started." he asked.

"Not yet." Stefan told them. "Klaus is sending one of his men. He'll take the front, you and I can take the tunnels."

"Since when did we team up with Klaus and the Lollipop Guild?" Damon asked confused, whilst Elena eyed Stefan with suspicion.

"Well, I already told you, Connor has werewolf venom." Stefan stated confidently. This only increased Elena's suspicion towards Stefan. "We need someone to draw his fire, the hybrids are immune to it so they're our best bets."

"Well, how are you sure that he even has werewolf venom?" Damon's voice was also laced with suspicion. "Why is Klaus involved, Stefan?"

Stefan turned around and started fiddling with something, although Elena couldn't see what it was. "Stop being paranoid, Damon." Stefan said brushing Damon's question aside.

"Start telling the truth, Stefan." Damon demanded. "Why is Klaus involved? Did he compel you?"

"I am telling you the truth." Stefan insisted. "This is the best way to get everyone out."

"Okay, what is with you two?" Elena asked beginning to get angry. "We're wasting time."

"You know what, she's right." Damon told Stefan angrily. "Screw your plan. I'll kill Connor myself." Damon insisted as he and Elena started to walk towards the door. But within a flash, Stefan had rushed at Damon and stabbed him in the back with a vervain dart.

"Stefan!" Elena cried in shock as she saw Damon beginning to lose consciousness as Stefan slowly lowered him to the ground. As soon as Damon was out, Stefan picked Damon up and laid him down on the couch, before taking Damon's phone from inside his jacket pocket.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena demanded.

"Damon had the right idea with the tunnels." Stefan explained as he opened up the picture of the map on Damon's phone. "But, I'm not gonna go in there if I can't count on him to do it my way."

"If you can't count on him?" Elena asked, confused by his statement. "You just vervained him."

"Do you think he cares about April or Matt?" Stefan argued. "He'll get Jeremy out for you, but then he'll go right after Connor, no matter who gets hurt."

"Then I'm coming with you." Elena said as Stefan walked towards her.

"You're not coming with me, Elena." her told her.

"You need my help, Stefan." Elena insisted.

"What if Connor attacks and you have to defend yourself?" Stefan demanded. "And what if you kill him? The guilt will wreck you."

"You don't think that I...I...I'm afraid of that?" Elena stammered before regaining her composure. "Of course, I am. Stefan, I'm barely holding it together. If Jeremy gets hurt..." Elena continued, but Stefan stopped her by gently grabbing her face in his hands.

"I'll get Jeremy out, okay? I promise you." he said softly.

"No." Elena told him defiantly. For some reason she was finding it hard to trust him.

"Elena, listen to me, listen to me." Stefan pleaded, his voice sounded genuine, which helped Elena to calm down. "This is the most important thing that I have ever asked you to do. I just need you to trust me. Please." he begged. Although still not entirely convinced, Elena closed her eyes and nodded as Stefan kissed her. Their lips parted and Elena opened her eyes only to find Stefan had already gone.

Resigned to being left out of the plans again, Elena went over to Damon to wait for him to wake up. However just a few minutes later, Elena heard a huge explosion. She rushed over to the window to see that the explosion had gone off in the grill. Elena ran over to the table and got her phone and called Stefan, however her call went straight to voicemail. "Stefan, call me! There was an explosion at the Grill. I need to know what's happening!" Elena panicked as she heard Damon groan from the couch.

Hanging up her phone she rushed towards Damon. "Damon, hey. Can you get up?" she asked frantically kneeling beside him.

"Ohh, where's Stefan? I'm gonna kill him." Damon groaned angrily as he began to sit up slowly, but as he caught the rays of sunlight coming through the window he started to burn, causing him to quickly lay back down. "Ow! Ow!" he cried in pain.

"He took your ring?" Elena gasped in shock. "Why would he do that?!" she asked as Damon rolled off the couch and onto the ground. Elena stood up, getting out of his way.

"Because he's playing us." Damon told her. "All this stalling, getting hybrids, taking my ring, add it up." Damon managed to get up and sit on the arm of the sofa away from the sunlight. "Just like we suspected last night, he's either made a deal with Klaus or he's compelled."

"Then I need to get in there." Elena informed him as she started to leave.

"No, Elena, this guy is dangerous!" Damon told her.

Elena turned around and looked at him angrily. "So am I, Damon!" she said.

Damon looked up at her, his eyes a mixture of pride and defeat, it was time to let her fight her own battles. "Then you need to be smart." Damon warned her. He doesn't know you're a vampire. You get as close as you can and you kill him."

Elena left Ric's apartment and headed off to the Grill. She'd taken a picture of a copy of the map of the cellars on her phone, just in case they were needed. The plan was to dupe the Hunter into thinking she was human and then kill him. However her priority was still Jeremy, Matt and April. If she could save them she'd be more than happy to leave the killing to Stefan. Elena got to the Grill and waited outside pushing her hair behind her ear as she listened to the conversation going off inside, hoping it would give her any clues about what was going on and when it was the best time to make her move.

"Listen to me, if you die right now, then your whole life, all that killing; it'll all be for nothing." Elena heard Stefan say to the Hunter. "I can give you the truth. Just put down the gun and let Jeremy go!"

Elena frowned at that comment, so obviously he did know something, which cemented her reasons to no longer trust the man she was once in love with. However now was not the time to dwell on Stefan's lies, now was time for action. Elena opened the front door to the Grill and gingerly walked in. The Hunter was holding the gun, pointed towards where Elena suspected Stefan was hiding. Elena walked into the Grill, hoping her presence would distract him. The Hunter turned his head to look at her.

"Please!" Elena begged as the Hunter pointed his gun at Elena. "Don't hurt him."

The Hunter turned his gun on Jeremy. "You come any closer, he's dead." he warned her.

"Elena, get out of here!" Jeremy screamed at her.

"He's the only family that I have left." Elena pleaded. "Just – just let him go."

"You hear that? Your girl is watching." The Hunter shouted out loudly, Elena presumed he was speaking to Stefan whilst pointing the gun at Jeremy. "I will shoot the boy right in front of her! On the count of three! One! Two!"

Elena saw Stefan emerge from behind a pillar near the bar. He stood up and raised his hands in surrender. The Hunter turned and pointed the gun at Stefan instead. Elena took this as her cue for action and rushed at the Hunter. He responded by shooting his gun and hit Jeremy in the stomach with a bullet. Elena threw the Hunter to the ground and sat on top of him. She grabbed him by the throat and started choking him. Elena could smell Jeremy's blood, out of the corner of her eye she could see he was bleeding profusely and clutching his wound. Elena heard Stefan suddenly rush towards Jeremy and grab him, throwing himself and Jeremy over a table. Then suddenly a bomb exploded. Momentarily distracting Elena as she looked up to see what was happening.

"Jeremy?!" she cried in panic.

Her moment of distraction was enough for the hunter to respond. He managed to rip her hand off his throat and tossed her to the side, rolling on top of her and grabbing her by the hair. He pulled a stake out of nowhere and attempted to go for the heart, but Elena was stronger and faster. She grabbed his wrist and fighting back, whilst Stefan rushed at the Hunter, knocking him from Elena. Stefan knelt down next to the Hunter and grabbed him by the throat. Elena got up and looked around the Grill, but Stefan and the hunter had disappeared.

As much as Elena wanted to follow them, Jeremy was bleeding heavily and he was her priority. Biting her wrist she fed her blood to Jeremy and waited for the wound to heal. She knew the smell the blood was causing her eyes to start to become red with hunger as she could feel the tickling of the veins around her eyes and her canines trying to elongate, wanting to break free. Elena took deep breaths, concentrating on the fact that it was Jeremy and not food to try and calm down the blood lust as Caroline had taught her, eventually she felt eyes go back to normal but she still backed away to be on the safe side.

"I'm sorry Jer... I..." Elena tried to apologize as she turned her face away to hide what she was in front of Jeremy.

"Hey, it's okay. You don't have to hide it." Jeremy reassured her. "I know you're not going to hurt me."

"What happened to Matt and April?" Elena asked trying to change the subject.

"I dunno." Jeremy told her. "They headed out back, that's the last that I saw of them."

"I'm going to do a quick sweep and see what happened to them." Elena told him as she stood up, before walking over to the kitchens.

Once inside Elena looked around and decided to use her sense of smell. Usually it wasn't her favourite vampire power to use, especially in a kitchen. The smell of rotting food and bad body odour was not exactly appealing, but this time it was going to come in useful. She tracked Matt and April's scent to what looked like a vent which had been opened and could see that someone had chopped through the bricks. The smell of brick dust suggested it had happened recently. Elena just hoped that they'd escaped down that route because her priority was Jeremy. Elena went back to check on Jeremy, but he was sufficiently healed and was standing up, looking as if nothing had happened apart from the blood on his shirt.

"Jeremy." Elena instructed. "I need you to leave and go straight home. We'll discuss what happened when I get back. I just want to make sure Matt and April are okay, I think they managed to escape through the one of the old cellars." Jeremy nodded in response as Elena waited for him to leave the building. Just as she began to make her way into the kitchen to start her search she heard Jeremy call her name from outside the grill. In a moment of panic Elena rushed out of the grill into the daylight only to find Jeremy outside talking to Matt and April. Elena breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were all safe and walked over to them. Deciding that April needed to forget what had happened to her, Elena decided she needed to compel her for her own good.

Elena stood in front of April and stared at her. "You were on your way to the Grill but it was closed due to a gas leak. You bumped into me Matt and Jeremy outside. That's all you remember." she said.

"I went to the Grill but it was closed due to a gas leak, I saw you Matt and Jeremy outside. That's all I remember." April said blankly.

"Hey guys." Elena smiled at them before turning to Jeremy. "Jer, we need to go home."

"Hey, April!" Elena heard Jeremy call. She looked around to see him talking to April. She tuned out of the conversation until she could see he was about to leave.

"Okay." Jeremy said before turning to Matt and April. "I'll see you guys later. And April, that bracelet looks great on you." he smiled at her, before he and Elena headed home to discuss that had happened at the Grill.

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Once Elena and Jeremy got home, Elena instructed him to go shower and change as the blood was distracting her whilst she made a cup of coffee. She was angry because Stefan was definitely hiding something and she was concerned that although Stefan was with the Hunter, he might not have killed him, which was putting them all in danger. This was beginning to remind her of the secrets and lies Stefan told her when they first got together. Back then she was a naive young girl, still recovering from the heartbreak of losing her parents. Now though, Elena was different. She had grown up and realized that she didn't need to depend on Stefan to help her get through things the way she had when she first met him. Heck, if anything, Damon had helped her through just as many of her traumatic periods as Stefan and he didn't lie to her unless it was absolutely necessary. Even if Stefan was doing something for the greater good, dragging Jeremy into this, especially if Klaus was involved, and compelling him was a step too far.

Elena was so lost in her thoughts, that even with vampire hearing she didn't notice Jeremy coming downstairs freshly showered. "Hey!" he called out to her, interrupting her thoughts as he sat down at the dining table prompting Elena to join him.

"How did this happen, Jer?" Elena asked as she sat down. "Why did Connor come after you?"

"He said I was like him, because I could see his tattoo." Jeremy told her.

"His tattoo?" Elena remembered Damon mentioning something about a tattoo after they got back from the Frat party, although Elena hadn't thought to question Damon any further on it at the time.

"His hunter's mark." he explained. "It's invisible to everyone but me. Stefan and Damon didn't tell you about it?"

Elena shook her head. "Damon briefly mentioned something about a tattoo but I'm not sure if he knows what it means. And Stefan hasn't said anything about it. Wait...wait, who else knows about this?" Elena asked, wondering if this was why Klaus was involved.

"Well, that's the thing." Jeremy sighed. "I don't even know. Apparently, I was with Connor all day yesterday, but I can't remember. Someone compelled me."

Elena stood up and began pacing the room. "I think I know who." she said furiously. "Did this hunter give you any clues as to where you were?" she asked.

"Yeah." Jeremy told her. "He said we were at the hybrid's."

"Klaus!" Elena frowned.

"I guess. But that's not all he said." Jeremy told her.

"Look Jer, I need you to tell me everything you know, so we can try and work out what the hell is going on, before I start accusing people of doing things behind my back." Elena demanded.

"Okay." Jeremy settled in to tell his story. "His name is Connor. He is a vampire hunter. He has a tattoo which he calls the Hunter's mark. Every time he kills a vampire the tattoo grows. He initially thought it was just an urge to kill vampires, but he thinks that when it's completed he'll find out why he is like he is which is what he is trying to do. I saw it grow when he killed the hybrid. He called me a potential." he told her.

"Damon mentioned something about this to me yesterday." Elena told him. "He and Klaus tried to kill the Hunter but obviously didn't succeed. Klaus said that he was one of 'The Five'."

"The Five what?" Jeremy asked.

"I dunno." Elena said. "Maybe there are only five of these hunters at any one given time."

"Maybe." he mused. "If there can only ever be five I wonder what happens when one dies. Is the hunter is replaced by a potential?" Jeremy asked. "Someone like me." Jeremy's eyes widened in realization. "I wonder that means if I'd become one of them."

"How would we know if you are a hunter of not?" Elena asked.

"The tattoo." Jeremy told her. "If I was a hunter I'd have the hunter's mark."

"Do you have the tattoo?" Elena asked, her voice full of concern. Jeremy shook his head. "So I'm guessing that Connor is still out there." Elena continued. "And I suspect that Stefan saved Connor for whatever plan he and Klaus are working on. The question is, why did he or Klaus compel you?"

At that moment Damon walked in, his face like thunder, Elena walked over towards him.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked, then realizing it was day she checked his hand. "I see you've got your daylight ring back. Does that mean you've seen Stefan?"

"Yeah I saw Stefan." Damon fumed. "I managed to get into the cellars through a boiler room by punching through a septic tank." Elena wrinkled her nose. "I found Stefan who let the hunter go as soon as he saw me. So I politely tried to find out what was going on, he gave me some vague answer, then he gave me my ring back and snapped my neck. I would have tried looking but I had no idea where they'd. So I went home to shower, because, well you know, septic tank and all, and headed straight back here to make sure you were both safe. Did Matt and April make it out okay?" he asked.

"Yeah." Elena told him. "They're fine. I had to compel April thought, Connor said too much. Speaking of which, Connor confirmed that Jeremy was with Klaus yesterday which means someone must have compelled him."

Damon looked over to Jeremy. "What happened in there?" he asked folding his arms.

Jeremy proceeded to retell his story whilst Damon listened intently. Elena could tell from the expression on Damon's face that he was probably thinking along similar lines to Jeremy with regards to the hunters mark. Damon said nothing until Jeremy had finished telling him his story and their theory about how the mark appeared.

"Elena, can we talk somewhere in private?" Damon asked once Jeremy had finished talking.

"Sure, we'll go up to my bedroom." Elena suggested, as they both made their way upstairs leaving Jeremy alone. Once inside Elena's bedroom she sat on her bed whilst Damon paced up and down. "What is it Damon?" she asked. "What do you know?"

Damon sat down next to her on the bed looked down as he took her hand in his. She could see he was nervously trying to work out what to say to her. Damon held her hand up examining it whilst tenderly rubbing his thumb in circles over the back of it. Elena looked at the gentle gesture smiling. She knew whatever he had to say would be big.

Damon sighed. "I'm about to take a very high and annoying road and tell you something." He took his hand away from hers and placed it on top of her hand instead of holding it. "Because I know that you think Stefan's been lying to you." he said softly. "Which, yeah, he has, but this rough patch that you two have been going through is not what you think. Everything that he's been doing, he's been doing for you. To help you. And after he kills me for telling you this, I want you to throw my ashes off of Wickery Bridge, okay?"

This caused Elena to laugh for a moment before she became serious. "What in the world can be so important that it's worth putting Jeremy life at risk? There is nothing he can say or do that is going to justify his actions." she said.

"There may be a way out of this for you, Elena." Damon said gently, causing Elena to look at him, confused. "There may be a cure."

This information initially surprised Elena and gave her hope. "What did Stefan say to you?" she asked.

"I caught up with him in the tunnels." Damon told her. "I shoved my hand in his chest and threatened to rip his heart out if he didn't tell me what he and Klaus were up to. I thought he'd been compelled by Klaus, but it turns out not. He said that Connor was the key to getting the cure, and that if we kill him then we lose the chance of getting it for you. He gave me my ring back and then snapped my neck."

"But if what we suspect is right, if Connor dies, then there's a chance that Jeremy could turn into a hunter." Elena said, her voice full of concern. "Which means we can't kill Connor because he'll just be replaced by Jeremy instead."

Damon nodded in agreement. "And the last thing we want is to kill Connor and then have Jeremy not only get involved, but go all Connor 2.0 on us. Jeremy and werewolf venom, now that's a serious accident waiting to happen." he smiled and shuddered at his own joke.

Something in Elena's brain clicked when Damon mentioned werewolf venom, reminding her of when Klaus had saved her life from the poisoned beer she drank at Rebekah's party. Elena remembered him mentioning something about her being useful again which was now starting to make sense as she was only useful to Klaus if she was a human. Elena removed her hand from Damon's, anger building inside of her. Klaus only wanted her human so she could go back to being a human blood bag. Stefan was so desperate to make her human again that he was not only willing to risk Jeremy's life, but he was prepared to subject her to a life as Klaus's hybrid maker. Did Stefan not even know her? As much as she hated being a vampire, this was better than what Stefan wanted for her. She just didn't understand why he would even think she'd want to go that far. She knew she needed to tell Damon.

"Klaus saved me from werewolf venom the other day." she told him, causing him to cock his head as he gave her a puzzled look. Elena stood up and began to pace the room. "He said if he'd have found out a few hours earlier, he wouldn't have cared about me dying, but, as it turned out, I might still be of use to him. In other words, he'll get back his hybrid making factory." Elena scowled.

"So let me get this straight." Damon frowned. "You think Stefan is willing to sacrifice not only Jeremy, but your freedom to make you human again? Is being a vampire really that bad?" he asked.

"No it isn't." Elena said.

"So why is he so desperate to make you human again?" Damon wondered out loud.

"I think I know." Elena said. Damon looked at her expectantly ready for her explanation. "But I need to go through a few things and talk to Stefan first before I can say for sure." Damon nodded. "In the meantime Damon, can you not say anything to Stefan about how much I know?" she asked. "If he asks just tell him about what Connor told Jeremy and maybe what you told me, if you want to. I don't want him to know about my suspicions about what Klaus wants and about Jeremy possibly becoming the next hunter if anything happens to Connor."

Damon nodded as he stood up and walked over to her before taking her into his arms. Elena held him back as she put her head into the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent. He smelled like a mixture of leather, bourbon and spices, a scent she'd come to recognize as uniquely Damon, even when she was human she'd noticed it. Now she was a vampire it was stronger, sexier, but it also made her feel safe. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but she knew for the time being she had to let go. It was at that moment that Elena finally realized, being in Damon's arms was the right place for her to be, however just now wasn't the right time. She had a few things to take care of before their time would come.

Damon finally left, leaving Elena alone in her room to decide her next move. The first thing she did was get out her diary. She read over the words she's written only that morning. The words that stuck out to her the most were ' _my feelings for Stefan haven't heightened, which I'd have thought that they would have considering I love him.'_ Elena decided that she needed to update her diary before calling Stefan.

_Dear Diary_

_I've found out what Stefan is up to. He is trying to find a cure for me. He thinks he can cure me of vampirism. I understand that he's uncomfortable with me being a vampire and I suspect a lot of it is because he blames himself for my transformation. However, that does not give him the right to involve Jeremy in all of this, and practically hand me over to Klaus to become his personal hybrid maker. I don't want that. I'd prefer to stay as a vampire than lose my freedom._

_I admit I hate being a vampire, but that is only when I don't embrace it. Yes I've been scared to do that, but after what happened today, I think the time has come. If my friends truly love me, they'll accept me. I know Jeremy accepts me like this as he was fine with me showing him my vampire face._

_I'm also beginning to question my feelings for Stefan. Yes I love him, that hasn't changed. But I'm not sure if I'm in love with him. And although I definitely loved him, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I wasn't even 'in love' with him the night I became a vampire either._

_I just know that when I need someone, it is Damon I turn to. When I was at the Frat party last night, I wanted to rip Damon's clothes off right then and there. God I hope_ _he never reads this. He just has that effect on me. And just now when he held me, I felt safe and like I I'd finally come home. I admit that even as a human I was falling for Damon. Like I told Matt, whenever I was with him, he consumed me. Only now it is a thousand times worse. When he's not around, I miss him like crazy. I know that whilst I'm having these feelings for Damon, I can't be with Stefan. If I was truly in love with Stefan, I wouldn't feel this way towards Damon. I know Damon still loves me, I can see it in his eyes. I just hope I'm not too late._

_With that in mind, I've decided that I need to let Stefan go. It's only fair on him. He needs to move on with his life. I know why he wants the cure for me, he thinks that by taking the cure, it will fix our relationship, but it won't. Becoming a vampire didn't make me fall in love with Damon, I was already in love with Damon before the accident. I was just too blind and scared to see it, or admit it to myself. But Damon isn't the only reason. I'm sick of the lies and I no longer trust Stefan. That's no basis for a relationship. So, I need to let him go._

_After I end it with Stefan, I'm going to tell Damon how I feel about him and pray that I'm not too late. I don't want the cure, it isn't worth all of these problems. I also don't want to be Klaus's blood bag. I just want to be free. However that is easier said than done, and I'll need to talk that over with Damon. Klaus isn't going to stop, and that includes getting Jeremy involved. I don't care if that means we have to go on the run for the next few years, but I am not taking that cure, unless Damon wants to take it with me and Klaus is prepared to ensure Jeremy's safety. And if we do, I want to know what is going on every step of the way. No more secrets and lies._

_Elena_

Elena decided to read her early entries of when she first met Stefan before she talked to him. She wanted to see what lies he'd told her in the past. She didn't want Stefan to think that their break up was solely about Damon because Stefan had played a huge role in her decision, although she suspected that him not lying to her would have only have dragged out the inevitable. She knew now that their relationship ended the day Stefan left with Klaus to save Damon. Not that she could blame him, she would have done the same for Jeremy. Also in a way she was glad that he did because it had given her the opportunity to get to know Damon without Stefan's negative influence.

Although her reason for reading her early diary entries were to spot Stefan's lies, she also noticed the further she read into her diary, the more she recognized the connection she had with Damon which was formed around the time when they went to Georgia. That bond between her and Damon had slowly grown into friendship over time, although there had been many hiccups along the way. He'd recognized the signs that there was potentially more than just a growing friendship between them early on, but she kept denying it to not only herself, but to everyone else. Looking back now at her growing feelings for Damon and her brushing Stefan's lies under the carpet, she knew her and Stefan were always doomed. Feeling more confident in her decision, Elena called Stefan and asked if he'd stop by and see her. He told her he was on his way and he'd be there within ten minutes.

Exactly ten minutes later Elena heard a noise outside, opening the front door, she saw Stefan is leaning against a pillar on outside the porch. Elena ventured outside and walked over to him.

"So, um, Damon told me that he clued you in." Stefan told her.

"He told me something about a cure, but he didn't go into that much detail. You didn't kill him, did you?" Elena joked.

"Nah, screw Klaus and his secrets." Stefan laughed as he sat down on the porch steps."We all want the same thing, we just have to work together for it."

Elena sat down next to him. "But do we?" she asked. "I mean, you haven't even asked me if that's what I even want."

"You've said it yourself, you hate being a vampire." Stefan turned to look at her. "I didn't want this for you."

"I never wanted this for me either Stefan." Elena told him. "But I have to learn how to live with it. Damon was right all along, I need to learn how to be a vampire, not try and pretend to be a human with a change of diet."

"Damon huh?" Stefan scoffed as his eyes dropped to the floor before he turned back to face her. "It seems like lately he's the only one who's able to get through to you, even in ways that I can't. You'll listen to him. You trust him, even when you can't trust me." his voice petered off.

"I didn't mean to not..." Elena stopped, not knowing how to continue without hurting Stefan.

"Come on, Elena, I mean after everything that we've been through...you can admit it." Stefan said sadly. They stared at each other for a long time whilst Elena thought about what to say.

Finally her eyes dropped as she was finding it almost impossible to say it to him and look him in the eye. "You've been so strong for me." A lump grew in her throat, but Elena knew she had to continue without crying. "Helping me, fighting for that girl that chose you, the girl that I was when I died on the bridge, and I love you so much for wanting to find a way to cure the vampirism. Because I'd like nothing more than to get her back, because the...the girl that she's become, that...that I've become is different, somehow. Darker. Who I am, what I want..."

"What you want?" Stefan asked. "Or...who you want?" he clarified. Elena could hear a slight crack in his voice. His eyes were holding back the tears, as if he already knew what her answer would be, causing guilt to form in the pit of her stomach. However, she knew she needed to be strong, and it was only fair to Stefan that she finally told him the truth.

"Something's changed, between Damon and me." Elena tried to explain. "Much more than it ever used to be. It's like...it's like everything that I felt for him before I was a vampire..."

"Has been magnified." Stefan finished her sentence for her. "Your feelings for him have been magnified."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to lie to you." Elena apologized.

"You know, before, when I was the, uh, the Ripper, I understood why you cared for him." Stefan told her. "I mean, I practically drove you to it. But now...I can't do this, Elena." Elena looked over at him and nodded in understanding. "Not any more." Stefan added.

"I know." Elena said sadly.

Stefan turned his face to look away from her whilst Elena looked at him for a moment longer, before turning to look away, fighting back tears. They sat on the porch steps together in silence for a few more minutes before either of them spoke.

"So what now?" Elena asked after she'd regained her composure.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

"Look Stefan, about the cure, I don't want Jeremy getting involved in any of this." she told him. "As much as I'd like to get that girl back, I need to get to know the new me first. I haven't been able to do that since I turned, apart from..."

"Apart from when you fed with Damon?" Stefan asked.

Elena nodded sadly. "I'm a new person Stefan, a vampire, and we all have to accept that. Yes, certain aspects of my personality have changed. And yes my feelings towards Damon have grown stronger, however for some reason the same didn't happen to my feelings about you." Elena took a deep breath. "But this isn't just about me and Damon. You and I have other problems. Big problems. The main one is trust Stefan, and you broke that trust. Going behind my back, getting Jer involved and then compelling him, it hurt."

"I don't get it." Stefan's tone of voice became a little more aggressive. "Even when you were human, no matter what Damon did, you forgave him."

"But this isn't about me and Damon." Elena protested.

"You see." Stefan turned to her. "That's what you don't get. It's always been about Damon. It's always going to be about Damon. Every step of the way, he's been there, trying to ruin things..."

"Wait a minute..." Elena stood up. "Where is all of this coming from? You said it yourself that you were the one who practically drove me into his arms when you were the ripper."

"But that was before you chose me." Stefan insisted looking up at her.

"I know that." Elena smiled sadly, kneeling back down. "But just because I chose you, didn't mean that I was going to lose my feelings for Damon. I'd fought so hard to get you back and he was there every step of the way. Then when I had to make the choice of who to say goodbye to, I chose you."

"Is that why did you chose me Elena?" Stefan asked. "Because you felt an obligation to say goodbye to me?"

"No Stefan, that's not what I meant. I chose you because I loved you." Elena explained quietly.

"Look Elena. We've said everything that needs saying right now." Stefan got up. "I can't do this any more Elena. I need to go." he said as he walked down the porch steps to leave her alone.

"Just promise me you won't let Jeremy get any more involved in all of this." Elena called out to him, but either he didn't hear her or he wasn't listening because not only did he not respond, he didn't bother to look back. Elena got up and headed back into the house, expecting tears to fall, but to her surprise none came. Elena wondered if she should tell Jeremy about her and Stefan's break up, but she could hear that he was already in bed, snoring softly and she didn't want to wake him, so she thought she'd let him know when she saw him the next day.

The next morning Elena got up late, meaning she'd managed to miss Jeremy as he went into work early to help clean up the mess in the Grill that Connor had left behind. Elena text Damon to tell him she wanted to talk to him the following day at the pageant. Opting for some alone girl time, Elena headed out shopping in Richmond for a new dress for the pageant. She didn't want to invite her friends along as she was expecting Caroline to try and pressure her to get back with Stefan and Bonnie would try and dissuade her from getting together with Damon. This was Elena's choice and she was no longer going to bow down to peer pressure. Instead she'd gone shopping because wanted to wear something sexy for her discussion with Damon, prompting her to buy a lacy black dress which was practically see through. She also decided to update her lingerie collection with a far more adult choice than she'd had previously, including a number of black lacy sets as Elena suspected it was Damon's favorite color.

By the time Elena returned home it was very late and she could hear that Jeremy was already sound asleep and snoring meaning she'd missed him again. Elena put her new clothes away and drank a blood bag before showering and changing for bed. She checked her phone and saw a text from Damon.

_Professor Shady-Pants is even shadier than I thought. Turns out that according to the quarterback, he was in contact with Pastor Young a number of times on the day he blew up the town council and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'll explain more tomorrow. X D_

Elena decided not to text him back immediately as she wanted to talk to him in person, even though she still hadn't decided what to say to him. Instead Elena opted to write one last entry in her diary before she made the giant leap, hopefully to land in Damon's arms.

_Dear Diary_

_Yesterday Stefan and I broke up. This time for good. I don't want any more lies or secrets. I want honesty, love and passion. I'll wait until tomorrow to talk to Damon. It's the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and this time I'm helping set things up. I'll never forget the last one, when Damon and I first danced together. He looked really hot in a suit. Hopefully he'll look just as good tomorrow. Whom I kidding, he always looks hot and sexy. I'd just never noticed quite quite how sexy he was until that dance. That was the day something changed about how I felt towards Damon. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to take that next step._

_I've decided that I don't care what Bonnie, Matt or Caroline think. If I want to be with Damon, they can either deal with it or forget our friendship. That's if Damon will still have me. If he will, he comes as part of the package deal whether my friends like it or not. I'm not going to let them dictate who I should and shouldn't love._

_I'm hoping that Stefan will stop looking for the cure. Admittedly I'd like to take it, but not at the expense of my freedom or putting Jer's life in danger. However I'm more worried about Klaus not giving up. I'm sure he'll want to put me back to human Elena and is using Stefan's insecurities to get him to help. Even if Stefan stops trying to get the cure, Klaus won't give up._

_I'm not sure what to do, so I need a plan to keep Jeremy safe until I've talked it over with Damon. Maybe we could take a road trip together, although I suspect Jer wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect of spending time on the road with Damon and me. He was bad enough on the way back from Denver. But we need to find a way to keep Jer away from Klaus. Maybe I ought to take Damon's suggestion about sending him to the Bahamas more seriously._

_I wonder what the issue is around Professor Shane. Damon seems concerned about him and what he is up to. I hope he didn't have a hand in blowing up the town council because he is teaching Bonnie how to get her powers back. Why are there always problems? All I want is one normal problem free day. Is that too much to ask?_

_Elena_

With that Elena returned her diary to it's hiding spot in the under the loose floorboard under her bed. She tried to fall asleep, but she was too anxious as to what would happen the next day. She knew she would have to face the wrath of Caroline who was in charge of this year's pageant and probably on the warpath thinking that Elena had purposely broken Stefan's heart in favor of Caroline's least favorite person, Damon. Elena turned over and sighed, at least she knew Jeremy still loved her.

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

The next morning Elena arrived at the Lockwood Mansion to help in preparation for the pageant later that day. Elena left her new dress, shoes and make-up upstairs in one of the rooms so that she could shower and change later for the presentation. Initially she had to run a few errands for Mayor Lockwood. After that she headed outside and walked down the steps into the garden in search for Caroline. It didn't take long for Elena to notice the blonde hair of her friend, who was standing at one of the tables with her back turned. As she headed towards the table where Caroline was stood, she noticed that she was talking to someone on the phone. Caroline must have heard her as she turned around and looked at her, annoyance etched all over her face.

"Look, I got to go." Elena overheard Caroline say to the person on the other end of the phone whilst staring at Elena. "Be careful. And remember, there is sublimating and then there is insanity."

"I'll be fine, bye." Elena recognized Stefan's voice on the other end of the phone as he hung up.

Caroline finished her call with Stefan and looked at Elena before making her way over towards her. The look on Caroline's face warned Elena to expect the inevitable onslaught of criticism from her friend. Deciding she wanted to try and avoid confrontation whilst other people were around, Elena turned and made her way to another table and began to arrange the flowers in the vase.

Not one to be avoided when she was on a mission, Caroline stormed over to the table where she was stood, looking imposing with a clipboard in her hand. "Look, I'm your best friend and I would never pick sides." Caroline told her sounding sincere, although Elena knew what was coming. "But are you sure that this is what you want? Because Stefan is your soul mate." this caused Elena to look up and raising her eyebrows at her Caroline. "Sorry. Picking sides." Caroline apologized..

"It's not like I don't love Stefan any more." Elena explained, as they moved to another table to arrange more flowers. "But I can't deny that ever since I turned, my feelings for Damon have become more intense."

"Yeah, I know. Stefan filled me in on all the gory Damon details." Caroline complained sarcastically.

"He did?" Elena asked looking clearly worried at her friend for a second. "Is he okay?"

"No, he's heartbroken." Caroline scolded.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Lie to him?" Elena asked, getting a little angry with all of the Stefan support she was getting from someone who was supposed to be her best friend and Elena's feelings should be Caroline's priority over Stefan's.

"No!" Caroline admitted, then added "But you weren't supposed to let Damon weasel his way into your confused newbie vampire heart."

"Well, he did and that's exactly what I am. Confused. I need to figure out what these feelings actually mean." Elena explained. "Although you and I already know that my feelings for Damon began long before I became a vampire." she whispered as she noticed Professor Shane walking down the steps and over to her and Caroline.

"Excuse me." Professor Shane interrupted. "I'm a little lost. I'm here to interview contestants."

"You're Professor Shane." Elena asked as she and Caroline look at each other.

"Yeah, that's right." he replied smiling. "Professor by day, pageant judge by other day. In spite of being absurdly unqualified, I'm apparently awarding a scholarship."

"Uh, inside by the parlor." Caroline offered as Professor Shane pointed up towards the house.

"Right in here?" he asked.

"Mhm." Caroline replied with a fake smile plastered all over her face.

"All right, I'll just follow the scent of hairspray and world domination." Professor Shane joked, prompting Caroline to laugh politely as he walked away.

Elena frowned and turned to look at Caroline who'd stopped laughing. "According to Damon." Elena whispered. "Matt told him Professor Shane contacted Pastor Young a number of times on the day that he blew up the town council."

"He's also the one that has Bonnie so obsessed with practicing magic that she bailed on pageant prep." Caroline added as Elena cocked her head and raised her eyebrows in surprise. Elena wasn't aware that Bonnie had decided not to come to the pageant, opting to work on her magic instead.

"And now he's judging Miss Mystic Falls?" Elena asked in a suspicious tone causing Caroline to raise her eyebrow. "Jack of all trades or kind of creepy?" Elena wondered out loud as she looked at the clock on her phone. "Time for me to get ready." she told Caroline as she headed up to the room to not only shower and change, but to avoid any further Damon commentary from her so called best friend.

Elena had opted for some of the new black lace underwear to go with her new dress. To compliment the look, she put her hair to the side in a fishtail braid. It took just over an hour for her to get showered, dressed and do her hair and make-up. By the time Elena was ready, Caroline was waiting for her, wearing a short gold dress for the occasion.

"Who's your date?" Elena asked casually as they headed towards the changing room for the contestants.

"Klaus!" Caroline simply stated as she pulled a face in disgust. "What about you? Who's your date?" she asked clearly trying to divert the topic away from Klaus.

"Matt." Elena replied, however she wasn't willing to be distracted from Caroline's date revelation. "How on earth did you end up with Klaus?" she asked.

"Long story." Caroline told her. "But let's just say I owed him one."

"And he was wanted a date in return?" Elena asked, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or be disgusted.

"I'm trying to avoid him." Caroline said sheepishly. "Can we please drop it?" she begged. Feeling sorry for her friend Elena shut up as they walked into the dressing room to find April Young trying to decide between a red dress and a blue dress. Elena and Caroline walked over sat on the edge of the bed to help her decide.

"Which one?" April asked as she held up two dresses next to each other for Caroline and Elena to help her choose.

"Blue." Caroline and Elena said in unison before looking at each other smiling.

"Really?" April asked, appearing a little unsure of their assessment. "The blue seems a little safe."

"Safe is good when it comes to the judges." Elena encouraged her enthusiastically.

"She's right." Caroline added. "Gracie Lockwood had a three-foot slit her year and practically got laughed off the court." she added causing Elena to smile and laugh at the memory. Right at that moment Damon suddenly walked into the room causing Elena's stomach to flip at the sight of him.

"She got my vote." Damon piped up as Elena glanced over at him. He was elegantly dressed in a black suit, white shirt and black tie. He looked almost identical to the way he did at the last Miss Mystic Falls pageant. This time however, Elena taking one look at him had practically caused Elena to stop breathing as butterflies started to churn in her stomach. Just like the previous pageant, he was looked devastatingly handsome. To Elena's surprise, she suddenly felt like a nervous schoolgirl from just looking him. This then made her feel embarrassed as it was only Damon, one of her best friends who had literally overnight, managed to possess the magical power of reducing her to a nervous wreck just by being in his presence.

Caroline fortunately, hadn't noticed Elena's reaction and instead threw a rolled up pair of black socks at him, hitting Damon squarely in the chest. "Get out, lurker!" she yelled.

"Ouch." Damon said sarcastically, feigning to be hurt as Caroline walked over to him. "Where's Professor Shane?" he asked.

"Check the judges' table." Caroline snapped as she started to close the door on him, but Damon put his hand up and pushed it back open as Caroline turned around and began to walk back towards Elena.

"Red one, definitely." Damon told April with a smile.

Caroline stopped in the middle of the room, crossed her arms and turned back to glare at him. "We've already agreed that the red one is a little bit too showy." she told him as she turned to look to Elena for back up.

"It's a pageant. That's the whole point." Damon said as if stating the obvious.

Caroline looked at Damon putting her hands on her hips. "Did you win Miss Mystic last year?" she asked. "No. I don't think you did."

"Neither did Elena and she wore blue." Damon reminded them before looking at April smiling smugly.

"Nobody cares what you think." Caroline snapped, a sense of defeat was in the air.

"I care." April piped up.

"See?" Damon grinned. "April cares. Red, right, Elena?" Caroline glared at Elena whilst Elena looked at April, trying to figure out a way to impress Damon by agreeing with him without upsetting Caroline too much.

"The red is pretty." Elena offered, trying to make it sound as neutral as possible. However, she realized she hadn't succeeded to in her attempt when she saw the expression of indignant anger on Caroline's face and Damon's smirk.

"And my work here is done." Damon said bowing his head as he smiled and walked out of the room.

Caroline looked at Elena. "Uh, what happened to thirty seconds ago when you hated the red one? What happened to safe is good?" she demanded.

Elena however was still reeling from the shock of how Damon had made her feel. Snapping herself out of her haze, she shook her head and turned back to April. "Whichever one you want to wear, April." she advised before heading to the door, leaving Caroline confused.

"What just happened?" she heard Caroline say as Elena left to follow Damon who was walking down the stairs.

"Damon." Elena called causing Damon to stop at the bottom of the staircase and turn to look at her, instantly reminding her of the previous pageant.

"Still here." he replied whilst she stood halfway down the stairs as Elena took a nervous deep breath.

"We need to talk." Elena said breaking the silence as Damon nodded in response.

"Stefan told me about the break up." Damon said as Elena started to walk down the stairs to meet Damon at the bottom. "I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not."

As they walked across the huge reception hall together, Elena started to nervously play with her hair. "What did he say?" she asked tentatively as they stopped in the middle of the hall and faced each other.

"Oh, you know Stefan." Damon said rolling his eyes. "He kind of just went on and on about it and wouldn't shut up."

"So, he didn't tell you why?" Elena asked curiously.

"Nope." Damon replied. "But I'm sure it has something to do with you acting weird, so why don't you tell me?" he asked.

Elena took in a nervous breath. "You." was all she could say. Damon stared at her, speechless in shock at this revelation, before a small smile began to grace his beautiful features. For a minute they just stood there, stared at each other, sharing a knowing look as they both recognized that this was a life changing moment for both of them.

Unfortunately, their monumental life changing moment was cut short as Professor Shane walked by, stopping when he noticed Damon. "Damon Salvatore." Professor Shane greeted Damon as if they already knew each other, causing Elena to frown. "Looks like we travel in the same circuit." Damon and Elena looked over at him. Elena could tell from the look on Damon's face, that he was not pleased that Professor Shane had interrupted their special moment.

"Professor Shane. Just the guy I wanted to see." Damon grimaced as he walked towards the Professor, but not before he looked back at Elena with an expression that she knew meant that they'd talk later. As the two men left the room together, Damon gave Elena one last brief glance as if committing her image to memory, before leaving Elena standing alone in the middle of the room, hoping she'd said and done the right thing.

Elena went back upstairs to get her purse and to have a few minutes to recover from what had just happened. She'd had feelings for Damon for a long time, that she was fully aware of, but she'd refused to act upon them apart from that one time in Denver. The reason had been plain and simple, she was scared of what other people would think of her. But now she'd had enough, if they didn't like her then they weren't true friends in the first place. Her relationship with Damon was not for Caroline, or Stefan or Bonnie to decide. It was a matter for her and Damon alone and she needed to keep reminding herself of that fact. That thought gave her a renewed sense of confidence which had been missing since her parents died. She was no longer the sad little girl who needed a boyfriend to help protect and look after her. She was a woman now, who instead of needing someone for protection, she wanted a certain man to share her life with.

Elena's thought's once again drifted back to Denver. She thought about the difference between Damon and Stefan as she had done for what had seemed like the millionth time. All of the times before her thoughts were reflected with a tinge of sadness believing that she'd never have a chance to kiss Damon and be in his arms again. His passion was intense, and that one kiss had been the most erotic moment of her entire life until that point, and it still was, even more so than having sex with Matt or Stefan. But relationships weren't about lust, although it did help. However, the thought of being able to be in his arms without guilt excited her. She didn't even dare imagine how good the sex would be. She'd heard the rumors about Damon and his impressive bedroom skills. No matter what Caroline said about the way Damon had used her, she had never once said a bad word about him in relation to their sex life.

Although Elena didn't want to rush into anything, she didn't see the point in waiting around. Vampires were highly sexual creatures, their needs were much greater than when they were human. A sexually frustrated vampire, was a grumpy and potentially dangerous vampire. Also it wasn't like she and Damon were strangers or hadn't spent any intimate moments together. The only thing their relationship lacked was the freedom of intimacy around each other, and becoming sexual partners. This was the thought that had led to Elena's earlier decision to opt for her new black lacy underwear, hoping that Damon would approve if it went that far. The sheer thought of Damon kissing her and touching her, made her body tingle with pleasure.

Elena was suddenly broken away from her thoughts when she heard Caroline talking over the microphone as she realized the formal introductions had started. Elena picked up her purse and rushed downstairs at human speed, making her way outside to find Matt as he was her date. She spotted him straight away and walked over to him.

"Have you seen Jeremy?" he asked.

"He's probably up there with the escorts." Elena suggested as she nodded towards the stage, as another girl was been introduced to the sound applause, the contestant took the arm of her escort and they walked off together.

Both Elena and Matt looked over at the escorts to try to spot Jeremy. "Yeah, Caroline told me to wrangle the escorts. He's not here." Matt told her, causing Elena to become slightly worried at this development.

"Katherine Wilson accompanied by Eric Hanson." Caroline announced in the background as a round of applause went up for Katherine.

"I'll find him, but..." Elena stopped as she saw April start to descend the stairs as Elena and Matt watched her. "April's about to get abandoned." Elena whispered.

"I got this." Matt offered.

"Okay." Elena replied as Matt walked away to take Jeremy's place.

"And finally, we have a last minute entry, April Young accompanied by Jeremy Gilbert." Caroline announced as April walked down the steps before stopping to look around for Jeremy. Elena could see that Caroline was also looking around for Jeremy, however she kept a large fake smile plastered to her face, as Matt walked up to the area where the escorts were lined up and held out his arm for April. The crowd applauded as April walked down the remainder of the stairs with a smile taking Matt's arm before they headed off to the stage to dance.

Elena was still looking around for Jeremy when she caught sight of Damon looking at her, causing her to smile shyly back at him. Damon continued to stare at her tentatively for a moment before her looked back and watched the dance. Elena watched him for a little while longer, wondering if he was remembering them dancing together at the last pageant. Elena had to force herself to push that thought to one side for the meantime whilst she concentrated on the more urgent task of finding her began searching her bag for her phone so she could call Jeremy as she walked out of the crowd. Caroline must have followed her as she was soon stood behind Elena, who had finally found her phone.

"Hey, what's with the last minute escort change? Where is Jeremy?" Caroline demanded.

"I'm calling him right now." Elena told her, holding her phone to her ear, but only getting Jeremy's voicemail in return. Elena noticed Damon emerge from the crowd and walk over to them.

"He's not picking up." Elena started to panic as Damon arrived and stood next to her.

"Do the math. Emo teen, open bar, it's fine." Damon smiled appearing unconcerned. "Relax, I'm sure he's fine."

"I don't know. I have a bad feeling." Elena said in a worried voice.

"If I'm not worried, you shouldn't be worried. Let it go." Damon tried to reassure her but to no avail. "I'll go look for him." he offered which finally helped Elena calm down a little.

"Okay." Elena breathed as Damon walked away.

"Okay, you go home." Caroline instructed Elena. "I'm gonna start asking around here."

"Maybe Damon's right." Elena said, although deep down she knew it was no longer typical Jeremy behavior, however he hadn't been the same since he and Bonnie broke up. "Maybe he grabbed a bottle from the bar and snuck off to the woods."

"No, Damon is never right." Caroline snapped. "Damon is sneaky and manipulative and rude, but he's never right. How can you not see that?"

"I don't know." Elena suddenly felt angry and defensive towards her friend. "But why do I think that you won't hesitate to tell me?" she asked.

"Fine, friend-tervention." Caroline told her. "I think your so-called 'feelings' for Damon are really starting to cloud your judgment and I don't like it." she continued as Klaus walked over to join them as he stood next to Caroline. "And the thought of you two together really makes me want to barf." Caroline stomped.

"Easy, love, you're making a scene." Klaus whispered gently to Caroline to try and calm her down.

"Wow, Caroline, thank you for making this very difficult time so much easier." Elena snapped sarcastically as she walked away, not being able to cope with being in Caroline's presence for another minute.

"How did I become the bad guy?" Elena overheard Caroline ask Klaus in the distance.

Elena decided to search the house for Jeremy whilst the judging took place, but she still couldn't find him. Every now and again she'd try to call him, but they always went through to voicemail. Eventually Elena made it back in time to partake in her duty of holding the cushion containing the sash and tiara for the winner. It was down to Caroline as the reigning Miss Mystic Falls to announce who'd won and crown the winner. Despite the fact she'd opted for the daring red dress, April Young won the pageant, prompting the crowd to applaud April who just smiled, looking like she wanted to cry. Caroline took the tiara from the cushion Elena was holding, as she prepared to crown April. By this point Elena was paying little attention to the ceremony as she scanned the crowd for any sign of Jeremy, suddenly spotting him as he walked through the crowd of people.

"Jeremy" Elena cried as Caroline placed the tiara on April's head.

Jeremy mustn't have heard her as he walked off, away from the crowd into the house. Elena quickly handed Carol Lockwood the sash and cushion and walked off the stage to follow him. Matt must have also noticed Jeremy walking away as he joined Elena to chase after him. Inside the house, they eventually found Jeremy is sitting in an upstairs empty room. Upon hearing her enter he looked up at Elena sheepishly.

"Hey Jer, where have you been?" Elena asked, her voice full of concern.

"I was getting ready but I couldn't find my car keys." Jeremy explained with a slightly blank expression on his face. "I didn't want to walk as it was hot and I didn't want to get all sweaty for the dance with April, so I called Stefan and asked if he could give me a ride. It took him a while to get me here as he had stuff to do first."

Elena eyed Jeremy with suspicion. "Why didn't you call me?" she asked.

"I thought you'd be too busy." Jeremy told her although Elena didn't believe a word of it. The previous night, when Elena had asked Stefan to keep Jeremy out of things, he hadn't responded. With this revelation, she suspected he was still going behind her back and pressing on to get her the cure.

Elena turned to Matt who was standing right behind her. "Can I have a word with you in private?" Elena asked as Matt nodded in reply. They left Jeremy alone to go into an adjoining room to talk as Elena closed the door behind them. "Matt, has any vampire other than Vicki ever been invited into your house?" Elena asked.

Matt thought about her question for a moment. "Only you and Caroline, but that was before you were both turned, so no. Why?" he asked.

"I need you to make sure it stays that way. Do not, under any circumstances invite any vampire into your house. That includes both me and Caroline." she instructed him.

"Why?" Matt asked confused.

"Well I've got the Katherine problem and you don't want her to have free reign in your house. She's already compelled you at least once." Elena explained. "Also, vampires have a humanity switch, and when that switch is off, we can become very different and extremely dangerous." she said.

"Like when Stefan was the ripper?" Matt asked and Elena nodded.

"The other thing that I need to ask is if you can do me a favor and take Jeremy home with you and keep an eye on him. That's if you don't mind." Matt nodded. "It's just that I think he is being compelled which is the real reason why he wasn't here for the dance." Elena told him.

"Do you know who's compelling him?" Matt asked.

"I think it's Stefan." Elena said causing Matt's eyes to go wide in surprise.

"Why?" Matt asked.

"I can't tell you right now because I don't know all of the details myself. But I want Jer to be kept out of it. I can't protect him properly whilst he's asleep as Stefan can get into my house and Jeremy still trusts him and I don't know exactly what he's compelled him to do. At least if he's sleeping at yours then nobody can get in and kidnap him." Elena explained.

"No problem." Matt agreed. "How are you going to convince him to stay at mine?" he asked before realizing the answer from the expression on her face. "I'm not going to ask." he said shaking his head. "Do you want me to put vervain in his coffee?"

"Please." Elena replied. "That should keep him from being compelled until I can get Stefan to stop what he's doing."

Elena went back to the room where Jeremy was and Matt followed her. She then compelled Jeremy to stay at Matt's until she said told him he was safe to come home. Once she'd finished, they all left the room and headed back outside to rejoin the party. Walking down the steps, Elena noticed Stefan waiting for her. Not wanting to speak to him, Elena turned and walked off in the other direction. However it was too late because Stefan had already spotted her with Matt who followed Jeremy back to the party.

"Elena, wait." Stefan called as came running after her.

"I don't want to hear it Stefan." Elena stopped and glared at him. "I asked you not to involve Jeremy in all of this. This shouldn't be happening to him." she said as she turned to walk away again.

"Elena, wait. I know it's my fault, I'm sorry." Stefan pleaded as he caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm to stop her from getting away as he faced her.

Elena stopped trying to pull away and looked at him. "What are you sorry for Stefan? Is it because you are going to tell me that Jeremy has been with you this entire time?" she asked although she knew perfectly well what the answer was after speaking to a clearly compelled Jeremy. Stefan said nothing and turned his face away, looking guilty, confirming her suspicions. "Are you going lie and tell me that you haven't been compelling Jeremy again, against my wishes to help Klaus make a copy of Connors tattoo? Or are you going to tell me the truth for a change?" she demanded, lowering her voice as she didn't want Klaus to overhear their conversation.

"We need the map to get the cure." Stefan admitted.

"If getting my humanity back means putting Jeremy in danger, then I don't want the cure." Elena growled. "I've already told you that."

"It's the only way to fix all of this." Stefan pleaded.

"You mean me Stefan." Elena said sadly. "The only way to fix me. You don't have to love me like this. This is who I am now. The old Elena died when she went off that bridge. Let her go."

Elena could see tears forming in Stefan's eyes, Elena's words had obviously stung him. But Elena couldn't feel guilty for what she'd said. Taking the cure wasn't going to magically take away her feelings for Damon. They were already there before she turned. She just hadn't had the confidence to go with her heart, instead she'd gone with her head. On top of that, Elena was not going to easily forgive Stefan for involving Jeremy and putting his life in danger.

Suddenly Elena heard someone approach from behind, his unique scent told her straight away that it was Damon, but he stopped a few feet away from her. Both Elena and Stefan looked over at him before Elena turned back to face Stefan. Damon's presence strengthened her resolve, as she looked at Stefan, she shook her head before giving a him rueful smile. Elena watched as Stefan turned around and walk away, clearly hurt by her rejection.

Elena turned back and walked towards Damon. "I found Jeremy." she told him.

"Where was he?" Damon asked.

"Do you want the real version or the compelled version of events?" Elena asked raising an eyebrow causing Damon to close his eyes and shake his head. "He's going to stay with Matt until this has all blown over." Elena told him as he looked confused. "Matt hasn't let any vampires inside his house since Vicki. He's safe to sleep there without me worrying if someone will come and kidnap him in the night. Plus Matt ingests vervain every day meaning that he's safe from being compelled." Elena grinned at her plan.

"Good call." Damon said fidgeting around for a moment. "I guess it's time we made a move then. Unless you want to talk here." he joked as Elena shook her head laughing.

"I'll go home, get showered and changed, and then I'll drop by later. Hopefully Stefan will either be out or in bed so we can talk in private." Elena said as Damon walked her to her car. Just as she was about to get in, Damon put his arm around her waist and chastely kissed her on the cheek, causing them to both smile as he pulled away, allowing her to get in her car and set off home.

As soon as Elena arrived home, she showered, shaved, primped and preened. She wanted to make sure she looked perfect. She chose the most sexy set of black lacy underwear out of the ones she'd bought the previous day. She did however, pack the red lacy set that Damon had once admired and told her to put in the 'yes pile' for their Chicago road trip. Elena smiled at the memory of Damon's face when he found them. After completing her seduction look, Elena then put on a more innocent blue dress, just in case she bumped into Stefan whilst she was there.

By the time she got into her car to drive out to the boarding house it was already dark. When Elena arrived she was about to knock but Damon opened the front door before she got the chance. Elena walked inside the house deciding to leave her small overnight bag in the car for the time being just in case Stefan was still up. It was a good thing she did because when she walked in, Stefan emerged from the parlor. For what seemed like eternity they just looked at each other as the tension mounted in the room.

"I have things to do, so I'll crash somewhere else." Stefan informed them as he finally broke the silence. His voice cracking as walked quietly out of the house, leaving Elena and Damon watch him go before closing the door behind him.

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning for smut and bad language.**

I must admit, this is my first attempt at writing anything smutty. I didn't expect it to be as tough as it was. I hope I've done the scene involved enough justice.

Elena walked into the parlor and sat down on one of the couches near the fireplace. Damon headed over to the wet bar and poured some whiskey, when he made it back over to her with two drinks in his hands, offered her one of the glasses, which Elena accepted.

Elena sighed. "Thanks." she said as she took a sip from the glass prompting a confused look from Damon.

"I was being polite." Damon joked as he sat down next to her. "I thought you hated whiskey."

"Caroline hates me." Elena explained

"Welcome to the club." Damon smiled as he held out his glass out, she clinked hers against his, then they both took another drink.

"Jeremy can't live with me." Elena continued. "Stefan wants to fix me, and Bonnie has practically disowned me for the way I acted at Whitmore College. I think it's safe to say that I'm not so great at this vampire thing."

"You want to know what I think." Damon asked softly. Elena looked at him nervously, curious to know his thoughts, she nodded her head slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you more alive." he said offering her a genuine smile, which caused Elena to blush.

They stared at each other for a moment. Elena smiled, happy that at least one person other than Jeremy and Matt was still okay with her. Fortunately for her, it was the one person in the world who mattered to her the most. As she looked at Damon, she realized that now was definitely the right time, they'd already waited too long to be together. However, Elena knew Damon would never initiate anything between until he knew for certain Elena was ready because regardless of his reputation, Damon could still be the gentleman he was raised to be when he wanted to. That meant it was up to Elena to take the initiative and make the first move.

"That dance that they did today kind of reminded me of when..." Elena began.

"When we danced together." Damon finished her sentence and smiled.

Elena nodded. "I wanted to dance with you today." Elena said lowering her eyes shyly.

Elena looked back up at Damon, through her eyelashes, trying her best to flirt, hoping Damon would take the hint. Fortunately for Elena, Damon could read her like a book. Placing his glass on the coffee table, he took Elena's glass from her hand and also put that one down on the table. He stood up and offered his hand, in a gesture for her to join him. She smiled, feeling a little nervous but she took his hand and stood up. Damon led her over to the front of the fireplace, took her other hand and lowered his right hand to her waist, as Elena placed her free hand on his shoulder.

The only noise in the room was the sound of them breathing and the crackling of the fire. Elena looked up at Damon, meeting his gaze, he looked back at her tentatively as if asking for her permission to continue, she smiled in response, giving him the go ahead as they slowly started to dance in silence. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes as they danced in a circle, Elena felt like she was getting lost in his pale blue orbs which were currently filled with what could only be described as a loving desire. As they both began to relax into each other, they rested their heads together. Elena closed her eyes and inhaled his scent which immediately calmed her nerves for them to be replaced by heat pooling in her stomach. Elena found herself fighting an internal battle. She'd never felt more content in her entire life, and in some ways she didn't want it to end, however being in his arms was enough to make her incredibly turned on and she knew Damon would know because his vampire senses would be able to pick up on her arousal just as easily as she could feel the hard bulge in his trousers.

Elena didn't have to fight her internal battle for long because Damon took the decision out if her hands as he twirled her around. When he pulled her back in, Elena prepared herself knowing that he wanted to kiss her just as much as she wanted to kiss him and he was likely to act on it. Elena was right, as soon as their bodies came into contact he began to kiss her passionately with a sense of urgency which Elena found herself responding to immediately.

This kiss was nothing like what happened in Denver, that kiss had been fiery and passionate mixed with a hint of desperation. This kiss was sensual, an exploration yet confident because this time it wasn't a test, it was foreplay. Neither of them needed to prove anything as they belonged to each other and this was the very first step of the rest of their eternity together. As their confidence in each other grew, so did the fire and passion in their kiss, their tongues exploring each other's mouths. Damon pulled her waist closer to him, causing their their hips to touch so she could feel his erection pressed against her stomach. The thought that she was even capable of having this effect on him turned her on even more, making her pull him closer, feeling the need to run her fingers through his soft raven hair. But she couldn't get him close enough, especially as there was something in her way, and at that moment, if anyone had asked her, she would have sworn that it was so evil, it made Klaus look like the tooth fairy. The big evil this time however, was Damon's shirt as it was preventing her from touching him.

Elena deciding she needed to do something about the evil shirt, so she vamp-sped Damon across the room, pushing him up hard against a wall, knocking a lamp over and breaking it in the process. But Elena didn't care and considering his lack of response, it appeared Damon didn't either. Elena aggressively pinned Damon up against the wall as they continued to kiss, with even more fire and passion than Elena ever thought was possible as they began to grind their hips together to create the friction they both craved. Suddenly Elena pulled away and ripped Damon's shirt open. She caught a brief look at his face which was filled with a sensual mix of awe, love and lust, she'd never seen him look so unguarded and beautiful before, and this was all directed at her.

Damon must have decided it was his turn to heat things up, literally, as he vamp-sped her up against the wall next to the fireplace and attacked her mouth, taking hold of her right thigh and pulling it up around his waist to give better access for him to grind his erection up against her core. An action which was causing her pussy to get wetter and wetter by the second. Elena got so carried away she had to grab hold to the wall to keep her balance whilst their lips, tongues and teeth were fighting for dominance. Damon pushed Elena harder up against the wall and wrapped her other leg around his waist.

"Not...here...but...only...if...you...want...to..." he managed to mumble between kisses. Elena nodded knowing that he was making sure that this was what she really wanted before he made a move to take their activities to a more appropriate location.

"Upstairs...now..." was all Elena could manage as Damon vamp-sped her to his bedroom whilst her legs were still wrapped around his waist. Their need was so intense that their kisses never stopped, even as they traveled up to his room.

As soon as they reached the inside of Damon's bedroom, Elena pushed Damon's shirt away from his shoulders. However even for a vampire this was an awkward manoeuvre, which meant he had to put Elena down whilst she continued to furiously attack his mouth. She had never felt such a sexual need in her life. What surprised her the most was that her desire for Damon was even more powerful than the blood lust she'd experienced at the Frat party.

Damon turned her around so that her back was pressed up against his chest. He pushed her hair to one side as he began kissing her neck tenderly whilst carefully unzipping her dress so as not to damage it. He pushed it off her shoulders, letting it drop to the floor, pooling around her ankles, revealing her black lace panties and bra with matching suspender belt and black stockings. Elena sighed in pleasure at his ministrations on her neck, stepping out of the dress and kicking it out of the way. Just as she did that, she felt Damon's hands gently graze against her lace clad breasts and down the curvature of her waist, causing her to shiver with pleasure.

"You okay?" Damon whispered sounding slightly concerned.

"I don't think okay covers it." Elena panted as one of Damon's hands made its way into her panties and started to expertly rub circles around her clit with his thumb. He slipped a finger inside of her, causing Elena to moan and push her back even flatter against him so she could feel his erection which seemed to feel even bigger and harder than before. He put his other arm around her waist to give her support. "Fuck...Damon..." Elena moaned as she felt the first signs of an orgasm approaching.

"You're beautiful Elena." Damon whispered huskily in her ear as he slipped another finger inside of her. She knew she was getting closer and she wasn't going to be able to hold out for much longer. "You're so tight and wet, I know you're ready. I want you to come for me." he demanded in a gentle whisper as he went back to kissing her neck. His touch, his voice and his kisses were enough to send her over the edge with the most powerful orgasm she'd ever experienced ripping through her body. He allowed her to come down from her high as he gradually pulled his fingers out from inside of her and sucked her juices from them as she turned around to watch.

"Mmm, you taste good." he growled.

"You're overdressed." Elena complained as she started to kiss him again.

"I'm quite fond of these trousers." Damon joked. Taking the hint, Elena decided not to destroy them like she'd done with his shirt. Instead she threw him onto the bed and proceeded to undo his belt before removing his trousers, revealing his very tented black boxer briefs which caused a grin to appear on Elena's face.

Wanting to take control, Elena pushed Damon down onto the bed and straddled him before she started to attack his chest. Ever since Denver she'd wanted to run her hands all over his body. Damon lay there with his hands above his head in submission, allowing her to explore him without his interference and so he could enjoy her ministrations. She bent down and kissed his neck, making her way down to his nipples, biting one gently with her blunt teeth, causing Damon's eyes to roll to the back of his head and moan with pleasure. All the while she was kissing his body, she kept rolling her hips to allow her pussy to rub up and down his rock hard dick causing her to get just as wet as she was before Damon had made her come. As she made her way back up to his mouth, Damon put his arms around her, pulling her body down to him so that they had skin on skin contact as they kissed. Damon's hands sensually trailed down her back before he pulled her thigh up closer to give him enough control to pull her around so that he could roll on top of her and and start his exploration of her body.

He pushed her arms above her head, mimicking his earlier compliance in allowing her to explore. Elena left them there as he trailed kisses down her neck as she watched him reach her chest. Damon raised his head to look at her through lidded eyes, heavy with desire before he slipped one hand into the bra cup and expertly massage one breast whilst at the other time whilst he lathered his tongue around her bra clad areola, causing her bra to get wet. Grinning, Damon then removed her breast from the cup and began sucking her nipple causing it to pebble.

"As much as I want to see you naked." he murmured as he swapped breasts. "You look too beautiful in this to take this off just yet."

Elena couldn't believe how much he was turning her on by the attention he was paying her breasts. She'd never found them to be much of an erogenous zone before, even when Stefan had paid them attention, it hadn't done anything for her. For some reason though, whatever Damon did, and wherever he touched her, he was able to turn her to mush and continually causing Elena moan in pleasure.

Damon turned his attention to heading south to the source of her arousal. He kissed the line of the waistband of her panties before lifting her leg up and kissing her ankle then slowly moving his way along her calf, to the back of her knee and up to her thigh, just stopping short of where she needed him the most. He offered her a wicked grin before he repeated the process with the other leg. Once her reached her lace-clad pussy, he placed his mouth over her panties which were now dripping wet with anticipation, but not where she needed him. Elena groaned in frustration.

"These are in my way." Damon smirked as he carefully removed her panties, leaving her exposed to him, but she didn't care. She just need his mouth on her pussy and the sooner the better.

Knowing that he'd kept her waiting long enough, Damon slowly licked her slit, practically sending Elena over the edge, but Elena concentrated on allowing him to prolong her pleasure by watching him. Damon opened up her nether lips and began to expertly tongue fuck her whilst massaging her clit with his thumb. The heat in Elena's stomach was mounting and she knew she wouldn't last much longer, she began thrashing around in the bed to stop herself from tumbling over the edge. Damon then suddenly switched tactics, as he inserted two fingers inside of her whilst his mouth became attached to her clit. He began to pump his fingers inside of her, occasionally stopping to stroke her inside walls. Elena realized it was pointless to try and fight it any longer, she could no longer even speak a coherent word of the English language. As her orgasm began to start to rip through her body, Elena grabbed hold of Damon's hair, her moans were now turning into screams of pleasure as she suddenly saw stars and her body began to convulse, heat taking over her body. Elena could feel Damon slowing down, allowing her to ride out her orgasm which didn't seem to want to stop as she gripped Damon's hair harder to try and keep herself under control. Finally the convulsions began to subside as Damon removed his fingers and made his way back up her body, kissing her stomach, chest and neck on his way.

By the time he reached her mouth, Elena was breathless from the strength of the mind blowing orgasm Damon had just given her, which was odd considering being a vampire, she had no need to breathe. As they started kissing Elena realized that at some point Damon must have removed his boxer briefs as she could feel his naked erection against her stomach. Curiosity got the better of her as she took hold of his penis in her hand. She'd already had a sneak preview on her birthday when he walked into the parlor naked. Although he had only been partially erect at the time she'd suspected that he was fairly big, but that hadn't prepared her for the reality of his size. He had every reason to be smug, he was a lot bigger than either Stefan or Matt. She smiled at the prospect of what he could to to her whilst they continued to kiss. Elena wiped the pre-cum around the head before she began to gently pump her hand causing Damon to initially hiss with pleasure before he took a deep breath, resting his forehead against hers and staring at her seductively.

The look on Damon's face told Elena that he was ready, she lined him up and placed him at her entrance as he continued to hover above her. Once in place, he gently pushed into her, lacing his hands into hers above her head, causing Elena to moan with pleasure. Damon ran his hand down Elena's side and pulled her thigh up around his waist for better access as they began to move their hips in unison, Damon thrust slowly at first, then he picked the tempo up slightly. Once again, Elena could feel the tell tale signs of another impending orgasm, this would be her third and she'd never had that many in such a short space of time. Damon must have been able to sense what was coming as he slipped his hand between them and began to expertly massage her nub sending her spiraling once again over the edge.

"Oh my god...Damon." she cried out, as he slowed down his movements, allowing her to recover before her pulling her on top of him and letting her lead. Luckily, as vampires they didn't lose stamina for very long so she was able to recover quickly enough to take over as Damon guided her hips, whilst he thrust into her from below, moans coming from his lips. It allowed Elena to take a look at him for one moment, whilst he was lost in the throes of pleasure. She saw that his eyes were dilated and lidded, his hair was even more disheveled than usual and he had small beads of sweat across his brow. His mouth formed an 'O' shape, as his breathing began getting heavier. Elena bent down and began kissing him once again, her hair curtaining them as Damon ran his hands up her back.

Damon sat up so she was still straddling him, but the position created a delicious friction against her nub whilst they continued kissing. The position meant Elena was still looking down at Damon and his eyes were wide open, looking at her in adoration and a deep sense of love that even with her time with Stefan had prepared her for. That look alone told her he'd save anyone, kill anyone or even move mountains for her if she wanted. A wave of euphoria crashed over her, this beautiful man below her was hers, and only hers alone for all eternity. Her love for this man and emotional needs took over her sexual desires. This was no longer about sex, this was making love in the purest form. Their lovemaking was joining them as one being for that moment. But for Elena, it wasn't enough. Elena wanted them to be joined mind, body and soul. Elena knew what she needed, she wanted to see what effect blood sharing would have, but now wasn't the time ask, especially as the combination of the euphoria of love and the friction was building, setting her up for yet another orgasm.

Damon must have sensed a change in her as he pulled her down so he could be on top once more. This time his thrusts were becoming harder and faster fueling Elena's impending orgasm.

"Elena...I'm gonna come." Damon panted in her ear, his voice sounded husky and seductive. This only turned Elena on even more. She knew she wasn't going to last more than another minute.

"Me too." she replied before she kissed him. Damon slipped his hand between them and began to massage her clit. Elena didn't last out the minute as she came the moment he touched her. Her world began to spiral, convulsions taking over her core, it was the most powerful orgasm so far, so powerful she could barely see. She was aware however that her core was milking Damon's dick which prompted his own release. Elena managed to see him scrunch up his face with intense pleasure as he came. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. Finally Elena began to come down from her high as Damon collapsed on top of her, both of them completely spent and practically exhausted, although Elena knew they'd both recover quickly enough to return to their carnal activities within a matter of minutes.

"That was..." Elena tried to think of the right word to choose.

"Intense?" Damon asked breathlessly as he turned his head to look at her. Elena just stared back at him and nodded, smiling as Damon captured her lips in an almost chaste kiss before pulling out of her. Elena groaned at the feeling of loss as he rolled over onto his back and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his body. Absently, Elena began drawing spirals on Damon's chest as she lay her head in the crook of his neck. Whilst Damon stared at the ceiling.

"Is it always like that?" Elena asked innocently before lifting her head to look at him. She'd never experienced anything as powerful before and she wondered if it was just Damon's prowess in the bedroom.

"Nope." Damon said, staring her in the eyes. "I've never experienced anything like that before either. It was...different...somehow." he tried to explain.

"That was us." Elena reasoned. "It was more than just sex. Did you feel the it too?" she asked, slightly worried about his response, but she needed to know. They needed to have this conversation about their future.

"Yeah." Damon replied. "It was like for one moment, it wasn't me and you, it was just us as one...or...something." Damon seemed lost for words of how to explain what both he and Elena had felt. "It was that my first time?" Damon admitted, seemingly embarrassed by his confession.

"Um Damon, I'm quite sure that I've seen you with other women before." Elena growled as she remembered the sight of Damon and Rebekah the morning after the Mikaelson ball. "How was I your first time?" Elena asked.

"You are the first woman I've ever made love to." Damon smiled. "Nobody else was worth it. They were just sex."

"Not even Katherine?" Elena asked in surprise.

"Katherine wasn't the type to 'make love', if you get what I mean." Damon tried to explain.

"Oh..." was all Elena could say in response.

"Can we just leave this conversation now?" he asked sheepishly.

"Well, as you've made an embarrassing confession, I guess it's my turn now." Elena opted to make him feel better. "I wanted to feed on you." she admitted, secretly relieved that Damon had experienced the same emotional connection she had.

"Me too." Damon said quietly. "I wasn't sure whether you'd feel that way considering the last time I offered your reaction, I quote 'Ewww, Damon no.' If I remember correctly." he laughed wiggling his eyebrows.

"Things were different then. I was..." Elena trailed off. She wasn't sure if Damon was ready to broach the subject of Stefan yet.

"...You were with Stefan." he said, much to Elena's relief. "I get it. You didn't want to feel like you'd cheated on Stefan."

"Would it have been cheating?" Elena asked.

"On your part no." he told her. "Well not intentionally. I'd have taken the blame for that."

"What happens when vampires feed from each other?" Elena asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Damon thought about her question for a moment. "It's both emotional and sexual for both vampires involved, regardless of who's feeding from who."

"Have you done it lots of times?" Elena asked shyly.

"Once." Damon told her. "I hated it." the answer surprised Elena.

"So if you hated it, why did you want to do it with me?" Elena frowned, confused.

"I hated it because it didn't mean anything." Damon tried to explain. "I had no emotional connection with the vampire involved, it was just meaningless sex. It only ever really has a true effect if there are feelings involved. I only did it to try it as an experiment." he went on. "With you, even before tonight, we've had an emotional connection. The physical side was always there too, no matter how hard we tried to fight it. Plus you needed to feed remember?" he winked.

"Do you want to try it one time?" Elena asked, smiling.

"You have no idea..." Damon trailed off and kissed her.

"We need to talk first though." Elena decided that now would be best to get things out into the open before they got even more personal. "This isn't just for tonight it it?"

"No." his face took on a serious expression. "If it were my choice, it would be just you and me for all eternity."

"So what's stopping that?" Elena was confused, was there something she didn't know.

"Well that depends on you." he smiled sadly. "Your friends will hate us being together and will try and split us up."

"If they try that, then they're not my true friends and they can fuck off!" Elena stated boldly causing Damon to raise his eyebrows at Elena's rare outburst of profanity.

"I'm a pain in the ass, I'm a dick..." Damon continued.

"Tell me something I don't know." Elena laughed smacking him on the arm causing Damon to pout in mock offense.

"Okay then." Damon's thought for a moment. "Stefan's going to hate us for...oh I dunno...years. Can you cope with that?" he asked.

"Damon." Elena sat up. "I don't care what Stefan thinks about me. I care more about how Stefan feels about you. He's your brother, and I don't want you to go without speaking because of me."

"Elena." Damon smiled. "Stefan and I haven't been on proper speaking terms for over a hundred and forty six years. I think a couple of more years whilst he gets over you won't put too big a dent in our relationship." Elena frowned at him. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." he reassured her.

"You really think he'll forgive you?" Elena asked.

"Look I know Stefan." Damon rubbed Elena's hand. "Yeah, he'll be pissed for a while, but trust me, he'll get over it and we'll be fine. Although, I suggest we leave out the gory details of tonight for him just yet. He might need time to digest the break up first."

"Well as long as he's not still hell bent on getting this cure." Elena lay back down in Damon's arms. "I think he thinks that by making me human again, I'll leave you and walk back into his arms."

"Would you?" Damon asked. "You did choose Stefan as a human."

Elena looked sheepish. "I didn't understand my feelings. I loved Stefan and in a way I still do." Damon's eyes dropped. "Hey." Elena shook his arm. "Look at me Damon." he lifted his eyes to hers. "You know as well as I do that when we turn our human feelings are magnified, and my feelings for you were magnified. But my feelings for Stefan didn't change at all. I didn't choose you because I was scared. I knew my friends would criticize me and try and put pressure on me to stay with Stefan. Stefan was safe, and you were...well you. But my choice wasn't who to spend eternity with, it was who to say goodbye to. And Damon, Stefan was the one who saved me when my parents died. Not only physically, but he was there for me emotionally too. I felt..."

"Obligated?" Damon asked.

Elena nodded back sadly. "And it was the best decision I ever made." Damon narrowed his eyebrows. "If I'd have chosen you, we wouldn't be laying here together right now would we?"

"Nope." Damon smiled. "Ric would've killed me." his face fell. "Although I do think the price was a little high for my liking.

"And why is that?" Elena asked raining an eyebrow.

"You never wanted to become a vampire Elena." he said sadly. "I understood why, you wanted to grow old and have a family, and I wanted that for you."

"I know, but there's one little flaw in your plan." Elena smiled.

"What's that?" Damon asked confused.

"Even as a human I wouldn't have had kids." Damon frowned at this revelation.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because vampires can't procreate remember." Elena rolled her eyes. "And I wouldn't want to live a human life without you. So being a vampire and spending an eternity with you isn't too bad. I think I can cope with that." she winked causing a huge grin to spread across Damon's face before he bent down to kiss her.

"I remember telling you something about vampires not being able to procreate when we were in Georgia." Damon said thoughtfully.

"And I remember you telling me that vampires love to try." she smiled back, batting her eyelashes.

"Oh yeah?" Damon asked seductively as he wrapped his other arm around Elena's waist and kissed her.

"Most definitely." Elena mumbled as she kissed him back.

"Shall we put it to the test?" Damon asked.

"Put what to the test?" Elena asked back.

"That vampires can't procreate." Damon's kisses began to make their way down Elena's neck causing the heat to pool in her stomach.

"I'd love to try." Elena moaned, throwing her head back to give Damon more access to her throat.

"I aim to please." Damon lifted his head grinning as they kissed once more, as what followed became round two of a very long and enjoyable night for the both of them.

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning for smut and bad language.**

Elena awoke with a smile on her face. She'd been up all night and had had very little sleep, but since becoming a vampire,she realized that it wasn't as essential as when she was human. It was just a way of switching off the brain and relaxing. An hour or two a day was sufficient, although most vampires slept mainly out of sheer boredom, after all, eternity was a long time. She turned over and looked at Damon, he looked deceptively angelic and peaceful when he was asleep. It was impossible to believe the man in front of her was a ruthless killer. His dark eyelashes fanned against his beautiful pale face and his raven hair was even messier than usual, a casualty of a night of practically none stop sex and making love. With Damon they were both very distinguishable from each other, he made love with a passion that surpassed any expectations she'd ever had as she'd become sexually aware over her teenage years. But the sex had been a lot of fun. Just like when he taught her to feed, he knew how to revel in it and make it fun. However the one thing they still hadn't tried was the blood sharing. As much as she wanted to, she wanted to wait for a special moment, she didn't want to jump into everything too soon.

Elena quietly got up from the bed as not to disturb Damon. Putting on the black shirt he'd worn (and she'd destroyed) the previous night she headed to the bathroom. One of the surprises of becoming a vampire was the fact that she still needed to use the bathroom. The subject had never been broached with either Stefan, Damon or Caroline and she'd just assumed that when they went to use the bathroom facilities, it was either to act human or for other reasons, such as in Caroline's case, adjusting her hair or make-up.

As Elena walked passed the mirror in Damon's en-suite to the toilet she noticed her own hair which could only be accurately described as a rats nest. After she'd used the toilet, she washed her hands and began to set about restoring it to it's natural, sleek, knot free state, which she suspected was going to take a while.

Damon woke up finding he was alone in his huge bed. He began to wonder if he'd had too much whiskey the night before and had been dreaming about the best night of his life. Taking in a deep breath he could smell Elena's scent all over his bed, reassuring him that it had not been a dream. He opened his eyes, raised his head and began to look around, hoping she hadn't changed her mind about them and bailed on him.

"Elena?" he called out, his voice still husky from sleep.

Elena emerged from the bathroom wearing his black shirt over her sexy black lingerie, in his eyes she looked like the most beautiful goddess imaginable in the form of the woman who, if he had his way, was potentially going to be his partner for the rest of their eternity.

"Hey." she said as she skipped back over to the bed, jumping on it playfully to join him

"Hey. Thought you might've left." Damon replied as he slipped his hand under his shirt that she was wearing, pulling her towards him.

"No I don't have to be at school for..." Elena held her wrist up and look at an invisible watch. "At least twenty minutes ago." she said as they both leaned in to kiss before they pulled away as Damon began playing with her hair, an air of contentment on his face. "What's that face?" she asked.

"What face?" he smiled as he looked up at her seductively, knowingly using his beautiful blue eyes to their full effect.

"That face." she asked curiously.

"I'm happy." he said as he smiled again, but this time Elena returned the smile as Damon moved over so they could kiss once more.

This time the kiss didn't stop, as Elena wrapped her thigh up around his waist, signaling her intentions, pulling him towards her, feeling his morning erection pressed up against her stomach. Elena rolled on top of him, lifting his chin up with her finger as they continued to kiss. Elena began kissing along his jawline before making her way down towards his neck. She'd discovered the night before he was particularly sensitive around that area, although that wasn't her current target. She licked up the side of his jugular, eliciting a moan of pleasure from his mouth.

Satisfied with her work on his neck, Elena continued to run her kisses down Damon's chest. As she did she bit one of his nipples causing him to flinch and eliciting a smile on her face. She knew he loved it, he'd already told her as much the previous night. As Elena moved down his stomach she encountered his treasure trail. Trailing her lips and tongue over such a sensitive area caused Damon's moans to increase, which in turn urged Elena on to continue her exploration of his body. Elena looks up at Damon, satisfied that he was enjoying her handiwork as she took hold of his shaft and gently started pumping. Damon's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he raised his arms and grabbed the pillows instead of her hair as he wanted to, just in case he pulled a little too hard. She might be a vampire, but hair pulling was one of the few things that was still fairly painful. To his surprise she took him in her mouth and flattened her tongue against his shaft whilst massaging his balls and continuing to pump, upping the pressure and speed.

The feeling of Elena's hot wet mouth around his shaft nearly sent Damon over the edge almost straight away. It was one of the most erotic experiences of his entire life, and that was saying something considering some of the sexual encounters he'd gotten in over the years. Damon knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer, he'd be recovered in time to make love to her, but he wasn't sure if she was ready for him to come in her mouth as he could tell she was refreshingly inexperienced and he didn't know how far she was willing to push herself sexually. He decided that he needed to warn her of his impending release and let her choose what she wanted to do with that knowledge.

"Fuck...Elena." he moaned breathlessly. "I'm gonna come." he did his best to look down at her as she raised her eyes to him, her head bobbing up and down, but instead of pulling away as he expected, she applied slightly more pressure and sped up her actions. The combination of the sensual look she'd just given him and her hot wet tongue moving around caused his senses to flip into overdrive. Suddenly he felt his balls contracting and he knew he was past the point of no return. He grasped the pillows even tighter, as he felt the heat passing through his member, the muscles all over his body tightening signaling his impending release. He scrunched his face up as he felt himself come inside Elena's mouth, crying out in ecstasy until his intense orgasm had finished and his body began to calm down and relax. All the while Elena's mouth stayed latched to his shaft, swallowing his cum with ease.

Elena finally released his member from her mouth, kissing the tip before she made her way back up to his lips following exactly the same trail she'd used on her way down, only this time in reverse, all the while a smile gracing her lips and her eyes shining bright with satisfaction. By the time they began to kiss again Damon was already getting hard again from her kisses alone.

Damon rolled Elena over as he wanted to return the favor, the thought of tasting her again went straight to his groin, he knew from his reaction alone that he'd never be able to get enough of her. He kissed her jaw and neck as he stroked his fingers down her lips as he began to make his way down her chest to her breasts. Once again she was covered by the black lace of her bra. It had disappeared during the night but it had made a return in the morning along with the addition of his shirt which was as sexy as hell and he had no intention of removing either, the visual effect was just too damn hot. However the lace was in his way of his target, so instead of removing the bra, Damon slipped his hand in one cup and removed her breast and latched his mouth onto her nipple,which was already pebbling at his touch. He s expertly alternated between swirling and flicking his tongue whilst his other ensured her other breast was getting plenty of attention, utilizing the lace of the bra to heighten the sensation as he pinched her nipple which had also pebbled. Damon swapped breasts and Elena moaned as he nipped her in retaliation for her earlier actions, however the pain was pleasurable, something Elena had already discovered in the past few hours.

Once Damon was satisfied that her breasts had been given plenty of attention, he made his way down her stomach and closer to his intended goal. Once he reached her panties he licked the crease if her thigh on one leg, and just as he was about to reach her core he switched over to the other. Damon spread her legs further apart to give him better access. However instead of removing her panties, he licked the outside of them first, noting she was already dripping wet for him, so he gently bit down on her nub through the lacy material.

"Damon!" Elena cried as she began running her fingers through his hair. Damon pulled her panties down with his teeth and blew at her opening causing Elena to cry his name once more. Looking up he could see her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Using his considerable expertise and the advantage of vampire speed, Damon alternated between tongue fucking her and sucking on her nub. Elena's cries became louder and he could feel her fingers dig into his scalp. Damon inserted two fingers inside of her and initially began to pump slowly, increasing the speed as she became accustomed to them being inside of her. Elena was close and Damon could tell, so he inserted a third finger and furiously attacked her nub with his mouth.

This action was all it needed for Elena to climax. "Oh my god...Damon!" she cried as she arched her back as wave after wave of intense orgasm crashing around her, her heated insides pulsating around Damon's fingers as he slowed down his actions, allowing her to ride out her powerful orgasm. Removing his fingers, Damon kissed his way back up Elena's body and reached her mouth.

His lips crashed down on hers as Damon inserted himself inside her and began gently thrusting. He stroked his fingers down the side of her body until he found her thigh which he pulled around his waist for better access and so he could penetrate deeper. Their hips worked perfectly in unison together, both of them moaning and panting as they began to move faster, desperate for a release only the other could bring. Damon knowing he wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, moved his hand down their bodies and massaged Elena's nub causing her back to arch and her to pulsate all around his shaft, milking him into his own release. Elena screamed out his name as his face scrunched up in exquisite agony whilst Elena's nails scraped down his back with such a force he felt blood pooling on his back, but he didn't care. They were both exhausted as he collapsed on top of her, both of them panting unnecessary for breath.

Damon pulled himself off of Elena and rolled onto his back, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in close to him.

"You know you're getting blood on the sheets." Elena jokingly scolded him.

Damon frowned. "That's what baking soda is for." he said causing Elena to laugh. "What?" he asked confused.

"Only you would know that Damon." she continued to laugh at him.

"Don't mock." he pouted. "It's in the vampire 101 handbook." Elena raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Okay, so it's not." he admitted. "But it's good to know, otherwise life as a vampire can get very expensive."

"I'll remember that." Elena nodded, trying not to laugh. "Well I need to get ready for school." she announced.

"Do you have to go?" Damon pouted. "It's not like graduation is urgent."

"I _do_ have to go." Elena's groaned. "I need to keep an eye on Jeremy. I don't want Klaus, or the hunter or even Stefan kidnapping him and sending him on some suicide mission to find a cure to make me human again."

"Don't you want to take the cure?" Damon asked curiously.

"After spending the last twelve hours of studying the perks of vampirism with you, I would say I'm beginning to feel more comfortable with life as a vampire." she winked. "It's all about adjustment. I just need to learn how to adapt to my new life and hopefully my friends will eventually come around after they see that I'm happy." she smiled.

"Speaking of friends. I'm interested to know what Professor Snake is teaching Bonnie." Damon frowned deciding to change the subject.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"I had a little chat with Professor Shady-Pants yesterday as you know. He admitted that he knew about the cure, which links him to Connor. He also mentioned that to access the cure, he needs a special type of witch." Damon smiled, waiting for her to figure out Bonnie's role.

"Oh." Elena's eyes widened as she realized what he meant.

"Yeah, well it turns out the other day our lovely Professor was giving a lecture at the school about some guy named Silas." Damon told her.

"How do you know about all of this?" she asked.

"Jeremy told me." he explained. "What?" he asked suddenly upon seeing the worried expression on Elena's face. "He's trying to put things right with Sabrina and was asking me for advice on girls, man on man so to speak." Damon elaborated. "Look Elena, do you really think this Professor guy is honestly trying to find a cure for vampirism?" Elena thought for a moment before she shook her head. "Of course he's not." Damon went on. "He's up to something else. My guess is that it has something to do with this guy Silas, or whoever he is."

"So why do you need to know what he's teaching Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"Because he's not a witch or wizard or whatever they call themselves these days, but he is teaching her magic. If some non-witchy guy is teaching a witch magic, do you really think that it's likely to be of the Bennett approved variety? Especially when we know that she has no access to the spirits." he explained. "Look, you go and get ready for school and I'll try and figure out a plan. Okay?" he asked. Elena nodded as she got up from the bed and headed straight for Damon's shower, beckoning for him to join her.

An hour later after a very long shower which consisted of spending more time with Damon buried inside of Elena than any actual washing, they finally emerged fully dressed, walking down the stairs together. Elena's hair was wrapped in an untidy bun as she'd been rushing due to spending too much time in the shower with Damon. Elena had forgotten to take her bag of clothes out of the car, so she opted for the dress she'd worn the previous night. She just hoped that if she ran into Stefan at school he wouldn't notice that she was wearing the same dress as the last time he'd seen her.

"Bag?" Damon asked as the walked down the hallway.

"I got it." Elena smiled grabbing her bag from the table near the door.

"Scarf." Damon offered as he pulled the scarf from being wrapped around the strap of her bag and wrapped it around her neck instead.

"What - oh!" Elena mumbled as Damon pulled her into a tender kiss. "Listen, Damon, we..." she began.

"No. No, no no. Don't ruin it." Damon placed a finger to her lips, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

Elena pushed his hand out of the way and smiled."You didn't even know what I was gonna say."

"Well, I'm assuming it starts with, "What are we?" And then ends with, "Going to tell Stefan?"" he pouted.

"He should know." Elena protested.

"I know he should know. I just don't know when he should know it." Damon groaned.

"Well, he knows that something is going on between us." Elena said. "I mean, it's one of the reasons that he and I broke up."

"Yeah, but can't we just let ourselves enjoy one secret, selfish day before we destroy his?" Damon asked,. "This is our time. It's never been right before but it is right now. Just one day? One day?" he pleaded as he held up one finger, looking at her with his best puppy dog eyes.

Elena gave in. "OK, one day."

"Yes." Damon said triumphantly as they opened the front door only to find Stefan on the other side, causing them all to stop in their tracks, as the air suddenly became thick with tension.

"Hey." Elena smiled awkwardly.

"Hey." Stefan smiled back putting his hands in his pockets, confused as to why Elena was still at the boarding house wearing the same clothes as the night before.

"See you in history?" Elena offered after a very awkward moment of silence between them.

"Yeah." Stefan replied, still not knowing how to respond as Elena nodded and walked past him, avoiding his gaze. Stefan watched her leave and headed into the house.

"Hey." Damon said awkwardly.

"Hey." Stefan replied, placing his hands on his hips. Damon closed the door and turned around, recognizing from Stefan's stance that he had some big announcement to make, so Damon just stood in the one spot, waiting to hear what Stefan had to say. "Listen, we need to talk." Stefan simply said holding his arm out to indicate they both go and sit down. Damon walked into the parlor and Stefan followed him.

"Why was Elena still here?" Stefan asked sitting down whilst Damon headed straight to the wet bar and poured himself a drink.

"We had a lot of important things to...talk about." Damon smiled guiltily. Luckily for him Stefan was looking down at his hands. "Okay, spill." Damon said. "Something is on your mind brother. What is it?"

"Caroline and I were talking last night..." Stefan started.

"You spent that night with Blondie?" Damon practically spat his drink out trying not to laugh. "What did she get you to do? Paint her nails?"

"This is not funny Damon." Stefan's face was deadly serious. "We got talking about Elena and..."

"Let me guess." Damon rolled his eyes. "She bitched about me and complained that she thought that Elena must be losing it for breaking up with you because she has feelings for me."

"There's a little more to it than that..." Stefan tried to begin to explain, but once again Damon interrupted him.

"Well newsflash. Elena had feelings for me before she turned. Becoming a vampire has just heightened them." Damon moved around and sat opposite Stefan.

"Will you shut up and listen to me for a moment?" Stefan shouted. Damon lifted his hand in submission to allow Stefan to continue. "We've noticed a pattern in Elena's behavior. Every time she has a problem you are the miracle cure. She constantly agrees with you, defends you and is willing to go against the opinion of everyone else just to back you up.

"And that's bad because...?" Damon asked confused.

"Caroline and I think Elena is sired to you." Stefan sighed prompting Damon to laugh.

"Sired? Really Stefan?" he asked. "That is the most pathetic piece of shit I've ever heard come out of your mouth, and you've said some crap in your day."

"It was your blood that turned her, right?" Stefan asked. "I mean, she's been different from day one because of you. You can't deny that."

"Sure I can." Damon was getting angry. "I finally got Elena to a good place about being a vampire. You two idiots can't stand that she's happy because of me."

"All right. You know what? Prove me wrong. Tell her it's OK to drink from a blood bag." he demanded.

"She's already drinking from blood bags." Damon told him. "Which reminds me, she forgot to pack one for school. I'll take one to school later. But onto more important matters, she has been going against my will. Off the top of my head I can think of at least two occasions she completely went against something I specifically asked her to do since she became a vampire." he said.

"And what were these requests?" Stefan asked.

"I asked her to kill Connor." he told him. "And last I heard he wasn't dead, unless you know more than me." Stefan didn't say anything in response. "Didn't think so." Damon said. "The other time I asked her to drink my blood." Damon said quietly.

"When was that?" Stefan asked.

"Does it matter?" Damon replied. "It's since she turned, and it proves she's not sired to me."

"Okay, fine." Stefan huffed as he stood up and stormed up to his room.

Due to her extra long shower, Elena was late arriving at school. She'd missed the first two periods and had arrived just in time for a break between classes. Hust as she got to her locker and began opening it, she saw Bonnie and Caroline walking over to her.

"Elena, hey. Is everything okay?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" Elena asked confused.

"Well, Caroline told me you had Jeremy move out to keep him away from Klaus." she said.

"Jeremy is staying at Matt's house right now to make sure he's kept out of the way of this hunter stuff." Elena explained. "I'm worried about not being able to protect him at night. Being a new vampire, I'm not strong enough to take on someone older than me, unless I get Damon to stay over." she added quietly.

"But you really need to ask Damon to stay over at yours? Or is it the other way around?" Caroline asked sarcastically. "I mean, judging by your hair, clearly, they don't have a flat iron at hotel Salvatore." she added giggling prompting Elena to take her hair out of the bun.

Elena was about to respond to Caroline's comment when she saw Damon further down the hallway, beckoning her to join him.

"Look, I'll see you in a bit." she said as she walked away to meet Damon leaving Caroline and Bonnie looking on confused.

Elena managed to catch up with Damon, as they found themselves an empty classroom. "You being here makes your selfish, secret day a little difficult, don't you think?" she smiled as they wrapped their arms around one another.

Damon pulled away and produced a blood bag from his jacket pocket. "Forgot your lunch? " he smirked.

"Hmm.. I was a little distracted this morning." Elena smiled as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him before putting her lunch in her bag. "Is that the only reason you're here?" she asked suspiciously.

"No." Damon admitted. "Stefan suggested today that you are sired to me."

"What?" Elena asked confused by the accusation.

"Yep. Sounds like he and Blondie think it's so impossible that you'd leave him for me, that the only way it could have happened is if you are sired to me." Damon rolled his eyes.

"But I've not done everything you've asked me to." Elena said.

"I know that and you know that. Which is all that really matters." Damon told her. "However, I thought I'd better give you the heads up as Blondie is probably on the warpath." Damon tucked a strand of loose hair behind Elena's ear. "Also I need to ask a favor. Both you and I need to do some fact finding missions tonight." he told her.

"What kind of mission?" Elena eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm going to take Stefan on a brother bonding trip to New Orleans in search of a witch." he told her. "In the meantime I want you to try and get some information from your friends, whilst at the same time I want you to try and make them love me." he pouted.

"What type of information?" Elena asked.

"I want you to find out as much as you can as to what Professor Snake is teaching Bonnie." Elena nodded. "And I need you to find out what Blondie knows about Tyler's new little wolf girlfriend." he added.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Remember our little conversation this morning?" he asked as Elena nodded her head. "Let's just say I don't believe in coincidences. There's a lot of people up to something and it's all connected to Professor Creepy and I also think Tyler's little wolf friend might also be involved."

"You still think Professor Shane is teaching Bonnie black magic?" she asked.

"Well I'm guessing there's no vacancy at Whitmore College for a Professor of the Dark Arts right now, so it looks like he's opted for home schooling our resident Bennett witch instead. He's up to something Elena." he warned. "And I wanna find out what it is. Especially as it involves something both of our brothers have been dragged into."

"Then why are you and Stefan going to New Orleans?" she asked.

"I'm going to get as much information as I can from a witch I used to know. She might know what we're up against." he put his arms around her. "I don't want to go. I want to take you back home, drag you back into my bed and spend the rest of the day with you naked." he whispered seductively.

"I like the sound of that." Elena whispered back as their lips met as they briefly kissed before pressing their foreheads together. "When are you leaving?" she groaned.

"Stefan is out hunting right now." he told her. "I just thought I'd let you know before I leave. Oh and you know, if you want, you can have the girls night at the boarding house. You could ply your friends with alcohol to pry the information out of them. But just don't drink all of the good stuff." he suggested. "Okay?"

"I'm better than okay. I've got you" Elena smiled, as she threw her arms around Damon, and leaned in to kiss one more time before he left. The bell rang, interrupting them as Elena reluctantly pulled away. "I have to get to class. Thank you for lunch." she said as they kissed once more before Damon let her leave for class.

As Elena rushed back to her locker to get her books out, she noticed Bonnie and Caroline still stood next to her locker, where she'd left them.

" Sorry about that, I was in a rush and I forgot... Never mind. Look, do you girls have any plans tonight? I'm in desperate need of some girl talk. I asked Damon and he said we can use the boarding house." Elena asked.

"I'm in." Bonnie offered. "Shane taught me some small spells I've been wanting to try."

"Oh, creepy professor guy is just Shane now." Caroline asked. Elena was secretly happy that Caroline shared the same opinion of the Professor as Damon did, it would be easier to question Bonnie about it later without raising suspicions.

"He's not creepy." Bonnie said defensively.

"We're not judging." Elena

"I am." Caroline said defiantly.

"Don't listen to her." Elena told Bonnie. "So, girls' night? We can raid the Salvatore wine cellar." she smiled.

"Um, are you sure that Stefan and Damon are cool with us crashing at their place?" Caroline asked looking uncomfortable at the prospect.

"Yeah sure, Damon said it was fine when I asked. They're going to be out all night so it's free. Plus their place has a better stash of alcohol than mine. How about you come over for eight?" she suggested grinning.

"Fine. I'll come too." Caroline sighed as they began to walk when her phone rang. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." she called as she saw Stefan's name show up as the called ID.

"Hi Stefan." she said.

"Hi Caroline." Stefan replied. "I talked to Damon."

"And?" Caroline asked.

"It doesn't sound like she's sired." Stefan admitted.

"And you believe him?" she asked.

"Look Caroline, Damon asked Elena to kill Connor. But instead she took Jeremy home." Stefan explained. "It's not the only thing he asked her to do that she's refused. So maybe we should just drop it."

"Well we know it's different in vampires than it is in hybrids." Caroline told him. "I asked Tyler about it and he said the reason they were sired is because they were grateful to Klaus for stopping them from turning. We know Elena isn't sired to Damon because she's grateful to him for turning her, so the reason for siring in vampires is different. Maybe being sired doesn't work the same in vampires like it doesn't affect their actions but instead it messes with their emotions." she suggested.

"I dunno." Stefan sighed. "Isn't that just like the same as it is for all of us? Our emotions get heightened when we turn."

"Yes, but only her feelings for Damon were heightened." Caroline insisted. "It should have been you that her feelings were heightened for, not Damon, because you are the one she loved, again, not Damon. Don't you just find that a little bit strange?" she asked.

"Maybe." Stefan replied. "Look Caroline, I gotta go. Damon just got back and it sounds like he's in the library tearing the place apart. I need to go see what he's up to." With that Stefan hung up leaving Caroline stood alone in the middle of the school hallway feeling confused and frustrated.

After hanging up on Caroline, Stefan walked over to the library to look for Damon. He hadn't been lying to her because he knew that Damon was definitely up to something and making a lot of noise in the process. Stefan walked into the room to find Damon on his knees, frantically rummaging through a trunk whilst the rest of the floor was littered with old papers.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked walking over to where Damon was knelt.

"I'm looking for something. Here." Damon said holding a picture up to show Stefan. "Remember that?" he asked as Stefan took the picture from Damon's hand to have a good look at it.

"New Orleans." Stefan stated confused turning it over.

"1942, to be exact." Damon said.

"What was in New Orleans in 1942?" Stefan asked as he crouched down next to Damon.

"Other than bourbon and beads..." Damon turned around to look at his brother. "Us, Stefan."

"Oh yeah." Stefan remembered as he pulled a hat out of the box and mindlessly examined it. "What was the name of that girl you used to hang out with?" he asked.

"That was no ordinary girl." Damon grinned. "That was Charlotte. You see Stefan, I do have experience of having someone sired to me." he explained. "This Charlotte girl, she was crazy about me from the minute we met. So, of course, when she asked me to turn her, I did."

"Your point?" Stefan asked.

"One day I jokingly told her that if anyone tried to touch my drink, she should show them no mercy." Damon told him." A guy spilled my drink and she snapped his neck right in the middle of the bar. I asked her why and she told me that I'd asked her to show no mercy so she did exactly as I told her. That was my first clue that she was sired." he explained.

"She was sired to you, and I can only assume you took full advantage of that until you got bored of her, right?" Stefan asked.

"More like when she went all "Fatal Attraction" on me." Damon shuddered. "Then I had to make a clean break, which is why I'm searching through this old chest little brother."

"How'd you do that?" Stefan asked curiously. "Break the sire bond?"

Damon suddenly pulled out a square card from the trunk. "Ah, phew, here." he said sitting back on the couch and handing the card to Stefan. Taking it, Stefan flipped it over and to read what was written on it.

"Valerie LaMarche, 920 Dauphine Street." Stefan read out loud. "Who's Valerie LaMarche?" he asked.

"The witch that I found to help me break little Charlotte's sire bond." Damon smiled as he picked up a glass from the coffee table and took a gulp of its contents. Stefan looked at him curiously and Damon stood up and began to walk away.

"I thought you said Elena wasn't sired to you." Stefan asked confused prompting Damon to turn around.

"She's not. But you, my dear brother, may have just given me the idea of how to solve our little Professor Shady puzzle." Damon grinned. "Pack your bags, baby bro. We're going back to Bourbon Street."

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

This story is primarily a season 4 re-write without the sire bond. That inevitably means the story is Delena heavy. That will not stop, but the plot itself is going to require some very careful attention so that I don't lose track of my own changes. Unfortunately I will not be able to continue updating daily because each individual episode is now consisting of roughly 3 chapters and the more changes there are, the longer they are taking to write. Plus I am now having to get a little bit more creative with the Delena smut.

Once I've completed re-writing 'O Come all Ye Faithful', I shall edit and post chapter 11.

I hope you like this chapter.

By the time Stefan and Damon arrived in New Orleans later that evening, it was already dark.. Neither of them had been back since they were last there in 1942. Stefan having left to join the war effort and Damon had left to escape the girl Charlotte who was sired to him. The taxi from the airport dropped them off on Bourbon Street, which was now full of people partying on the brightly lit street. Music was playing loudly, the atmosphere was almost carnival like. Damon and Stefan wandered through the crowd, looking round at their surroundings, taking in the changes over the years and trying to regain their bearings.

"Well, the city is the same. Just brighter." Stefan observed.

"Have you been back here since '42?" Damon asked.

"Nope, not since I shipped off to join the war effort and you didn't." Stefan scolded.

"Somebody had to entertain the ladies who had been left by their menfolk." Damon shrugged as his cellphone chimed indicating the arrival of a text. He took it out and read the message. "Hey, good news. Elena is at the house with the girls where she can't get in trouble." he grinned. "Bad news...I told her to make herself at home and unfortunately she's found the Dom cellar.."

Stefan turned to face Damon. "Yeah, you told her so she does, right?" he asked.

Damon scoffed as he walked past Stefan. "There is no sire bond Stefan, I thought we'd already established that."

"Really?" Stefan asked. "So why the fuck have you dragged me all the way out here, huh?"

Damon turned and looked at Stefan. "You know what Stefan? I get it." he scowled. "I get that you're pissed that Elena dumped your ass because she has feelings for me. Bet you blame that on the non-existent sire bond, too, huh?"

"Yeah, you know what? I absolutely do." Stefan admitted.

"Why, because it's impossible to think she could have feelings for me?" Damon asked.

"No, because it's impossible for her to be so blind that she doesn't see how wrong you are for her." Stefan growled as the two stood staring at each face to face. Damon opened his mouth, momentarily speechless, completely stunned by his brother's scathing remark so he just turned around and walked away.

Realizing he'd gone too far, Stefan chased after him. "Hey, wait, Damon, I'm sorry." he said.

Damon turned to face Stefan. "What did you say?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I said I'm sorry." Stefan repeated himself as he and Damon continued walking through the crowds turning, off the corner of Dumaine as they reached Dauphine Street. "I apologize, all right?" Stefan insisted. "As much as I hate this sire bond thing, I shouldn't take it out on you. It's not really your fault."

"Well, don't get all warm and fuzzy on me yet." Damon warned. "I keep telling you there is no sire bond. She's not been doing everything I've asked." They suddenly stopped in front of a small apartment building. "This where the witch lived." he said.

"What, you weren't expecting to find the same exact witch in the same place?" Stefan asked.

"No, but since I couldn't remember where the store was, figured it'd give us a start." Damon explained.

"Maybe there's another place to start." Stefan suggested. "You think Charlotte might be in New Orleans?"

"Yeah, maybe." Damon answered shrugging his shoulders.

"Where was the last place you saw her?" Stefan asked.

"Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. Kind of told her to count every brick in every building in New Orleans, and I'd meet her at the corner." he paused for a moment. "I was gone by morning." Damon gave a guilty smile as Stefan looked back at him before he turned around and walked away. "Where you going?" Damon called after him.

Stefan turned around to face him, whilst walking backwards. "Corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. See how literal the sire bond is." Stefan shrugged turning around and began to walk away. Accepting defeat, Damon rolled his eyes and sighed before he followed him. Damon caught up with Stefan as they walked down Dumaine until it met the corner of Bourbon Street. "There's no way she's gonna be in the same spot after seventy years." Damon protested.

"So, what are we gonna tell Elena?" Stefan asked changing the subject.

"I already talked to her about it." Damon replied. "Someone had to warn her about Blondie. She agreed with me, there's no sire bond."

"Well, of course she'd agree with you, especially if there is a sire bond." Stefan scoffed.

"How many times do I have to tell you, there's no sire bond." Damon growled. "I've already experienced what it's like to have someone sired to me. I know what happens. And trust me, Elena isn't sired or not only would she have killed Connor when I asked her to, she would also have drank my blood if she were."

"Oh, I see. I get it. Bury your head in the sand all you want Damon, but Elena is emotionally sired." Stefan insisted.

"Emotionally sired?" Damon snorted. "Really Stefan? Is this another type of sire bond that I've never heard of before? One you've just made up to make Elena feel better about you trying to save her by putting her brother at risk? Oh, what about you, O selfless one? Are you doing what's best for Elena or what's best for you? Because it looks to me like the only reason you are convinced Elena is sired to me is because you think that by breaking some non-existent sire bond, you'll be able to restore her original factory "Team Stefan" settings." Damon continued. "Has it even occurred to you that there might be a more obvious explanation? Something that happens far more often than a sire bond, although you seem to be convinced that it's impossible for anyone to form any real kind of connection with me. Go ahead Stefan, you bury your head in the fucking sand." he paused, eyes blazing as they both glared each other."I'm gonna go get a drink. Hunt me down when you stop being a dick, and I'll tell you the real reason we're here." Damon announced angrily as he walked away.

As Damon walked off towards the nearest bar, Stefan stood there at the corner, feeling ashamed. He knew that to some extent Damon was right and all of the signs pointed to Elena's attachment to Damon being similar to love. However Stefan wasn't exactly sure how a sire bond worked in vampires and he sure as hell didn't trust Damon to tell the truth right now. He decided to pretend to believe Damon for the time being and in the meantime find out how to break a sire bond. The other alternative was that the vampirism itself could have caused this change in Elena, although it would have only heightened her feelings for the man she was in love with, which she'd claimed was him. If it was the vampirism, he'd have to continue on his search for the cure, consequences be damned. At least he'd know then that human Elena would never run off with his brother. As far as Stefan was concerned, if he couldn't have Elena, he sure as hell wasn't going to let Damon have her. In the meantime Damon had brought him to New Orleans for a reason and Stefan was beginning to become curious as to why. The suggestion of the sire bond had prompted the trip which he'd said was related to Professor Shane. Stefan was confused as to what this Professor could be doing to have his brother travel all the way to New Orleans just to see a witch who'd helped him break a sire bond seventy years earlier. He went to follow Damon to find out.

Damon angrily began heading towards a bar he remembered being close by. He made his way around the corner and began to walk the route down the deserted street, when he heard a noise behind him causing him to stop in his tracks. He turned around to look behind him but he couldn't see anybody. Shrugging his shoulders he turned back around to continue making his way towards the bar. He was suddenly brought to a halt as an unknown vampire rushed at him and threw him to the ground. Damon realized that Stefan must have heard the commotion as he immediately rushed to where Damon was being attacked. Stefan grabbed hold of the vampire and threw her off of him as Damon got up looking stunned.

"What the hell just happened?" Stefan asked

"She kissed me." Damon said, stunned and confused until he saw the face of the vampire in question.

The female vampire stood in front of them was slender with long red hair and large sleepy eyes. Both Stefan and Damon immediately recognized her as Charlotte, the vampire who had once been sired to Damon.

Her face lit up at the sight of her long lost sire. "Damon, I always knew you'd come back for me." she cooed. "I must have counted literally every brick on every building in all of New Orleans." she smiled dreamily at the memory.

Damon stared at her, eyes wide with shock, completely taken aback by her words and actions, he turned to face Stefan, his brother's jaw dropped, his face carrying a look of horror.

"Literally every brick?" Stefan asked not being able to believe what he was hearing as Damon grimaced at her admission.

Charlotte approached Damon and tried to wrap her arms around his neck, but Damon awkwardly tried to back away from her. "Uh, Charlotte...so...um..." Damon plastered a fake smile across his face as he patted her arm, pulling himself away from her. "Please tell me you had a full life and that you've done something other than counting bricks." Damon asked hopefully.

"Of course I have, I'm not crazy." Charlotte insisted as Damon shook his head and smiled uncomfortably, he wasn't sure he could agree with her comment about not being crazy.

"Then why are you still here?" Stefan asked.

Charlotte turned to look at Stefan. "You know when someone breaks up with you and there's a song that reminds you of them?" she asked. "First, you hate it." she continued as she placed her hand on Damon's shoulder and began to caress it. "But then it brings back all the good memories of them. Counting the bricks is my song and I've been playing it for decades." she added dreamily.

"That's a really long time stuck listening to the same song." Stefan said dryly as he watched Charlotte place her arms back around Damon's neck making his brother ever more uncomfortable.

"Yeah, heh.." Damon gently grabbed her hands from around his neck and pulled them away as he tentatively patted them between his own hands. "Well you know, in the plus column, you know New Orleans better than anyone in the world." Damon smiled sweetly. "Which is really nice, because we need your help finding someone." prompting Charlotte's face to drop slightly.

"Who are you looking for?" she asked as she went to try and stroke Damon's shoulder again. Damon glanced over her shoulder and gave Stefan the 'help me out brother' look, which Stefan ignored.

"Do you by any chance remember an old witch who lived here back in the forties, she lived on Dauphine Street." he asked, gradually turning he and Charlotte in a circle before slowly backing away towards Stefan. "Her name was Valerie LaMarche."

"Sure. I know her store." Charlotte smiled. "Do you want me to take you? It's not far from here." she offered.

Stefan and Damon looked at each other before turning back to Charlotte who was once again approaching Damon. "That'll be great. You just show us the way." Damon grimaced back as they followed the female vampire down the deserted street.

A few moments later the lights of Bourbon Street appeared and the crowds started to thicken out once more, causing both Stefan and Damon to breathe a little easier knowing that they were no longer alone with Damon's psychotic ex who was clearly still sired to him. They may both be vampires and stronger than her, but her words and actions had left a bad taste in both of their mouths. One that they wanted to be free from as soon as they could get away.

They finally arrived at a small store called Nandi's. Damon told Charlotte it would make him very happy if she were to stay outside the shop, a few doors away which was exactly where they left her, whilst Stefan and Damon attended to their business. The sire bond worked perfectly as Charlotte happily waited outside for them whilst they entered the shop she'd led them to. Inside the store there were masks on the wall, jars littering the counter with goodness knows what pickling in them and the shelves filled with bottles of what could only be presumed to be potions, possibly whatever a 'Nandi's Special' was, as advertised by the blackboard behind the counter. A middle-aged woman, who Damon surmised must be Nandi, came out from the back of the shop to serve them.

"Can I help you, gentleman?" Nandi asked.

"Hi. We're looking for a witch. Sorry, no time for pleasantries." Damon said rudely.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand." Nandi replied seemingly confused.

"Look.." Damon said pointing at the blackboard behind the woman, where "Nandi's Special" was written on it."Nandi, is it?" he asked. "Let's skip the part where you pretend like you don't know what we're talking about." Damon looked over at Stefan who raises his eyebrows acknowledging his brother's statement. "We need information about the type of spell that could break a vampire sire bond. Now, there was a witch here named Val. Ring any bells?" Damon asked.

"She was my great-grandmother." Nandi offered.

"She had a grimoire and it had a spell." Damon told her. "Val told me that the spell was what she called 'dark magic'." he explained. "She told me that money was not what she wanted in payment. Instead she needed me to sacrifice twelve human souls so that she could cast the spell."

"A sacrifice? You brought me here knowing that the spell to break a sire bond required a human sacrifice." Stefan asked angrily.

"Well, I was hoping the recipe had changed." Damon shrugged as he looked at Stefan. As far as he was concerned they weren't there to kill anyone as Elena wasn't sired to him.

"Look, there's no magic like that here. I sell herbs and homeopathic remedies and dress it up with a little witchy-woo-woo for the tourists, but I don't practice." Nandi told them.

"Okay, fine, listen, just tell us where we can find someone like your great-grandma who can break the sire bond and won't flake out on us like old Val did." Damon asked.

"There's no one. All of her stuff is gone...the grimoires, her journals. We lost it all during Katrina. If a spell like that ever existed, it's gone for good." Nandi explained.

Damon scowled. "Let's go." he told Stefan before they left the shop, the bell tinkling as they exited the door.

"What now?" Stefan asked as Damon began walking down the street he and followed.

"Witch is lying. Doesn't practice magic, my ass." Damon scoffed

"Human sacrifice? Did you really think I would go for this?" Stefan cried angrily as they approached Charlotte who was sitting on the footsteps of the nearby building.

"Extreme circumstances called for extreme measures." Damon shrugged.

"Did you kill those 12 people in 1942?" Stefan asked.

"Absolutely, I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it meant a clean slate with Elena, that's if she were sired to me." Damon replied adamantly. "Which dear brother, I'm sure even you are beginning to see that Elena isn't sired when you compare her to..." he nodded in Charlotte's direction and raised his eyebrows. "Let's just say if Elena was sired to me, then either she or Connor would be dead right now. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"Hmm." Stefan frowned.

"Are you gonna help me good cop...bad cop this witch or not?" Damon asked as he whistled for a taxi as he got inside the taxi, Stefan followed, leaving Charlotte waiting for the to conclude 'their business' as they made their escape to a nearby bar.

Damon ordered a bottle of whiskey with two glasses as he and Stefan found a booth bar for them to sit at so they wouldn't be disturbed. The French Quarter in New Orleans was notoriously run by a vampire called Marcel who had his minions everywhere, so a noisy bar was exactly what they needed to ensure the wrong ears wouldn't pick up on the conversation they were about to have.

"Okay Damon." Stefan sighed. "You've had your fun. Are you going to finally tell me why we're here?" he asked.

Damon looked about checking there was no one around, listening into them talking. "This conversation brother." Damon warned. "Goes no further than you, me and this bottle of whiskey. No blabbing to Blondie, right?" he asked.

"And Elena?" Stefan asked.

"She already knows a lot of it. Hell she was the one to help me piece it together." Stefan raised his eyebrow at Damon's comment. "Elena and I were talking for a long time last night, and this particular subject was something that we paid particular attention to." he told him.

"Go on." Stefan sighed.

"Do you believe in coincidences" Damon asked, pouring him and Stefan each a generous amount of whiskey in their glasses.

"Depends." Stefan replied. "Sometimes they're genuine. What are you getting at?"

"Let's start from the beginning. Pastor Young blew up the farm and killed twelve people." Damon began. "Sound familiar?" he asked with an expectant look on his face.

Stefan thought about Damon's comment for a moment, trying to find anything that could connect Pastor Young to their trip to New Orleans. "You killed twelve people in 1942?" Stefan asked realizing the common denominator.

"Bingo!" Damon grinned at his own genius. "Now according to the phone records of Pastor Young, which were brought to my attention by the Quartback, the Pastor's guidance counselor appears to have been none other than our own Professor Shady."

"Interesting." Stefan raised his eyebrows, slightly impressed by his brother's deduction skills. "Go on."

"Now this is where it gets interesting." Damon continued. "Pastor Young's little suicide mission coincided with the arrival of not only Professor Shady, but our lovely hunter and Tyler's little werewolf friend." he added.

"Hayley?" Stefan asked raising an eyebrow as Damon nodded back, smiling whilst pouring them both another drink. "What does she have to do with this?" he asked.

"Good question brother." Damon replied. "Right now I have no idea. But I've asked Elena to quiz Blondie on what she knows." his face dropped.

"Why didn't you ask me?" Stefan asked, hurt that Damon had asked for Elena's help above his.

"Because we're not in a good place right now." Damon explained sadly.

"Well, if you had've asked, I could've told you that Hayley is helping Tyler break the hybrid's sire bond. Nothing more sinister than that." Stefan explained, trying to curry favor with Damon.

"Okay, fine." Damon sighed. "I just thought whatever it was might be at odds with your current objective."

"And what's that?" Stefan asked, he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

"The cure!" Damon simply stated. "For a change, Elena's lovely doppelgänger blood wasn't a factor in our current crisis, but between you, Klaus and Professor Shady, that appears to have now changed."

"What made you think that whatever this was, wass something to do with the cure?" Stefan asked.

"Because our resident hunter also appeared on the scene about the same time." Damon took a sip of his drink. "And I might have had a quiet word with the Professor."

"Let me guess." Stefan groaned. "You threatened to rip his heart out unless he flat out admitted to mass murder?"

"Yep!" Damon smiled smugly. "We had what can only be described as an enlightening conversation." Stefan shook his head in anticipation for the rest of the story. "It turns out that to find the cure the Hunters mark must be completed, which is now old news. As you already know, for that to happen he needs to kill vampires. According to Professor Shady, there are only ever five hunters in existence at one given time. If one dies, they are replaced by a 'Potential', someone who can see the mark. Good news, we have our own resident potential in Mystic Falls, bad news, it is none other than Little Gilbert." Stefan sat listening intently to Damon's story whilst continuing to sip on his drink. "Now as I have mentioned a number of times, Elena is not sired to me, which turns out to the best news ever as I asked her to kill Connor. Now what do you think would have happened if she was sired to me and had actually killed Connor?" Damon asked.

"The Hunter would be dead and would have been replaced by Jeremy." Stefan said slowly.

"Ding, ding, ding." Damon waved his hands. "Jeremy would have gone Connor 2.0 on us with an urge to kill every vampire in sight, possibly starting with his sister. So you were right, killing Connor is not an option." he admitted.

"Glad we agree on something." Stefan groaned rolling his eyes.

"There's more." Damon continued, causing Stefan to sigh. "Professor Shady is teaching Bonnie magic. She was visiting him when we crashed her visit to Whitmore College. Now you answer me this, how can a non-magic person teach a witch magic when the said witch involved has no access to the spirits?"

"He can't." Stefan shook his head.

"Well he is." Damon frowned. "He also told me that to access the cure, we would require the services of a Bennett witch. Now both you and I know that something has to fuel a witches power."

"Oh and you think maybe he's using human sacrifice?" Stefan asked raising an eyebrow.

Damon nodded. "And that dear brother is why I brought you back to Bourbon Street. I wanted to know what type of magic was used when Valerie LaMarche asked me to sacrifice those twelve people back in 1942."

"Well the problem is that Val is dead." Stefan told Damon. "And her only living relative is her great granddaughter who claims not to be a practicing witch."

Damon scoffed. "Great granddaughter and not practicing my ass, I remember Val having a daughter, her name was also Nandi." he grinned raising one eyebrow. "She was there when I asked for Val's help to break the sire bond. Meaning, that even if she doesn't know how to break a sire bond, she'll know what type of magic her mother used for that type of spell."

"Which clearly didn't work as Charlotte is still sired to you." Stefan glared at his brother. "So what are you intending to do about that?"

"Leave?" Damon suggested.

"Damon. You need to do the right thing by her?" Stefan insisted.

"Okay." Damon groaned. "I'll ask the witch if she can offer any practical advice. If she can't help we either leave her here or I rip her heart out, which as much as I don't want to do, it might be kinder than her staying here, miserably pining after me for all of eternity. We can't take her back to Mystic Falls" he said giving Stefan a pointed look. "I say, let's just get out of here, sort this mess out and get back home." he said suddenly getting up and walking out of the bar. Stefan quickly gulped the rest of his drink down and followed as Damon whistled for a taxi to take them back to Nandi's store.

The doorbell tinkled as the Damon walked into the shop once more. Nandi, with her back turned to him, was doing some work inside the shop front itself when the bell alerted her to his presence behind her. She turned around and looked at Damon.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped.

"Calling you out. You're not Val's great-granddaughter. You're her daughter." he snapped. "You're 80 years old. You don't look a day over 50. You're a practicing witch." he added.

"Get out of my store." Nandi scowled.

"Give me what I want." Damon insisted as he started to walk towards the witch. Nandi turned around and glared at Damon, her monster crippling magic aneurysm pouring out in waves directed straight at him as he suddenly crumbled to the floor clutching his head in both of his hands as the pain took over whilst he could feel the pain of his blood trickling down the inside of his spine.

"I gave you a chance to leave with your life." Nandi shouted as Stefan suddenly appeared from the back of the store.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. We don't want any trouble okay? We just - we just need your help. That's all." Stefan pleaded.

"I told you there's no one here who can help you. The kind of magic my mother practiced, it's unnatural. Witches don't even call it magic. We call it Expression!" Nandi spat as she stopped giving Damon the magical aneurysm.

"Is that like black magic?" Stefan asked.

"Worse." Nandi explained. "Channeling the power of human sacrifices calls on darkness that can't exist on this plane without swallowing it whole. She sold you a bill of goods about breaking the sire bond because she wanted access to that power and you gave it to her when you killed those twelve people."

Stefan headed over to Damon, helping him get up from the floor. "Are you saying there's no spell?" Damon asked.

"The bond can't be broken with magic." Nandi told them. "A vampire only bonds to her sire when she has feelings for him before she turns, human feelings. Vampirism only heightens those emotions. You want her free?" she asked. "You have to set her free. Tell her to live her life without you and never think of you again, to stop caring about you, and then leave her. That's the only way around the sire bond."

"Just one more question." Damon asked. "Did you say the type of magic was called Expression?"

"Yes, why?" Nandi eyed him suspiciously.

"Lets just say we're a little concerned that a witch friend of ours might be falling in with the wrong crowd." he told her. "Three weeks ago twelve people died in a gas explosion. I just want to know what we might be dealing with."

"It's the darkest of magic." Nandi whispered. "If she draws too much power from the sacrifices it can kill her."

"How would she draw too much power?" Damon asked, knowing he wasn't going to like the answer.

"It depends on the sacrifice." Nandi explained. "Humans will fuel plenty of power for a witch to practice Expression. The more power she needs, the more powerful the sacrifice has to be." Damon frowned confused. "Look, I don't know you and I've already said too much. I shouldn't trust you because you're a vampire. But if what you say is true, you need to get her away from those who are teaching her Expression. Anyone wanting to teach a witch that type of magic is up to no good!" Nandi walked to the door and opened it. "Now please get away from my store." she said as she gestured for them leave.

Stefan and Damon left the store and headed towards Charlotte who was still waiting patiently for them to conclude their business.

"Charlotte." Damon hesitated for a moment. "Come with me." he told her as he took her to a bar called Gillespie's Pub, whilst Stefan stood waiting outside.

"Look Charlotte." Damon squirmed. "I want you to be happy."

"You make me happy." she smiled at him.

"I need to go back home without you." he frowned.

"So, you're just leaving me again?" Charlotte asked.

"No, I need to get on with my life and so do you." Damon insisted gently.

"I don't want to live without you." Charlotte begged as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"If you want to make me happy you will. You just forget about me. You'll never think of me again, and you'll find someone new, and you'll be happier than ever." Damon said softly as Charlotte began to cry causing Damon to frown awkwardly. "Please, stop crying." Damon grimaced.

Charlotte wiped the tears from her eyes and stops. "I'm never gonna be able to forget about you." she whimpered.

"Yes, you are." Damon protested. "And I'm never gonna be happy until you realize that you're never gonna have the life that you deserve if I'm in it." he said as he stood up. "Goodbye, Charlotte." he added before walking out and leaving her alone in the pub. He spotted Stefan who was sitting on a bench waiting for him outside, before getting up when he saw Damon appear.

"How'd it go?" Stefan asked.

"I set her free." Damon replied nonchalantly.

"Must've been hard. Doing the right thing, especially when it's not something you want to do." Stefan sneered.

"Get to the point, Stefan." Damon snapped.

"Well, I mean, selflessness isn't exactly one of your most obvious character traits, Damon." Stefan asked sarcastically.

"Yeah? Well, one of these days you're gonna realize you don't know me half as well as you think." Damon scoffed as he whistled for a cab before turning to Stefan. "Look, I know what you're thinking. You always seem to assume that every decision I make is for selfish reasons which is why I'm no good for Elena. Well that's not true. Remember the last time we were in New Orleans and I told you I'd join you in going to Egypt but I didn't?" he as and Stefan just nodded. "I didn't abandon you. I signed up, hell I was even at the train station getting ready to join you. All because I wanted to spend time with my little brother. But Lexi was there waiting for me. She asked me not to go. She thought that I'd be a bad influence on you, that I'd encourage the ripper side of you. And deep down, I knew she was right, so I decided not to go. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much I needed you, I had to put you first, because you're my brother." Damon finished as he walked past Stefan towards the taxi he'd whistled down.

Stefan dropped his head sadly for a moment before he turned to follow Damon to the cab. "I didn't know about that." Stefan said quietly.

"Yeah, well, next time I'll hang a billboard." Damon snapped back.

"Look, I know it may seem like I'm being unfair about this, like I'm upset about losing Elena to you, and I am. Can you at least accept that?" Stefan asked.

"I know Stefan, I've already been there remember." Damon sighed. "Look, I'll talk to Elena about the cure. If we can find a way to protect Bonnie and Jeremy from the creepy Professor, then she might be on board with going to at least search for it. Then it's up to her if she wants to take it." he suggested.

"Okay." Stefan agreed. "We'll give her the option, and if after all this is over, if she never feels the same way about me as she used to, at least it'll be her real choice. Not one that is influenced by being a vampire." he added.

"The dreaded C - word." Damon shuddered as he got inside the taxi, Stefan followed him, sitting in the back of the cab, heading back to the airport to go back home to Mystic Falls.

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

The boarding house was empty apart from Elena getting ready for her girls night in with Bonnie and Caroline that evening. Damon had given her free reign for her to do what she wanted and the first thing she decided to do a little exploring. She'd spent a lot of time at the boarding house over the last fifteen months or so, however she'd never had the opportunity to really look around. However as much as the paintings and decorations were fascinating, her true goal was to find where they kept their alcohol. Elena knew they had a wine cellar somewhere as Stefan had managed to magically produce a bottle of champagne from her birth year, the day of her first feed, out of nowhere. The thought of drinking animal blood made her shudder as she grabbed hold of the chill box and took it with her downstairs to hunt for the elusive cellar. Eventually Elena came across a chilly room which housed hundreds of bottles of Dom Perignon. Elena smiled picking out a crate of bottles as if she were shopping in a supermarket. Making her way back to the stairs, she passed the fridge housing the blood bags and picked one out for her and a bag of Caroline's favorite, B positive and placing them in the chill box.

Once back upstairs, Elena emptied her booty from the crate and chill box, placing the bottles and bags into the huge Salvatore refrigerator to chill and leaving the empty crate in the kitchen whilst Elena headed up to Damon's room to shower and change. After she'd finished, she checked the time, noticing it was nearly eight, meaning Caroline and Bonnie were due to arrive at any minute.

Elena headed towards the fridge and began packing the champagne and blood bags into the crate as she heard a car pull up outside, which she instantly recognized by the engine noise as Caroline's. Elena heard he car doors opened and closed and two sets of footsteps walking across the gravel. Moments later a knock came on the front door.

"Come in." Elena yelled more for Bonnie's convenience as she knew Caroline would have heard her without the need for shouting.

Elena brought the champagne laden wooden crate into the parlor, placed it down on the coffee table and opened it.

"One for you." Elena said taking out one of the bottles and handing it to Bonnie who gratefully accepted it. Elena turned to Caroline. "One for you." she said as she handed another bottle to Caroline.

"Ooh." Caroline thanked her as she giggled taking hers as well.

"I'm assuming this is for Caroline." Bonnie sighed Bonnie holds up a blood bag.

Caroline went to reach out for it, but Elena grabbed it first checking the writing on the front. "Actually, it's for me." Elena grinned prompting Bonnie and Caroline exchange surprised glances.

"I thought..." Caroline began confused.

"Oh. Are you saying that..." Bonnie began to smile.

Elena put the blood bag to her mouth and began to drink. "Thanks to Damon, I am now a functional dysfunctional vampire." Elena announced proudly.

"That's amazing." Bonnie clapped

"Uh, what do you mean "thanks to Damon?"" Caroline asked in an accusatory manner.

"Well, after we got back from Whitmore College Damon suggested that I should be okay and ready to feed from a blood bag without experiencing the blood lust. So I did and it worked. No more babysitting the newbie vampire." Elena explained proudly with a big grin on her face.

"So where is my least-favorite Salvatore?" Caroline asked sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

Elena held up her phone and read the text message out loud from Damon. ""Out with Stefan for the night, don't wait up. Brother bonding.""

"Hmm, so you guys check-in text now? What else do you do?" Caroline sneered.

"I know that you're not the biggest fan, but he kind of just changed my life. Would you mind laying off on all the hate?" Elena asked.

"OK, new girls' night rule...no boy talk, yeah?" Bonnie piped up trying to diffuse the tension. "Plus, why talk when we have this?" she grinned as she held up a bag full of a black herbs.

"Is that stoner tea?!" Caroline asked in shock.

"It's spirit tea. It opens up your chi, or whatever." Bonnie laughed as Caroline looked on unconvinced. "Come on, it's not drugs! Shane is helping me do natural magic without having to access the spirits." Bonnie shrugged.

"Mm-hmm." Caroline hummed suspiciously.

"Don't judge." Bonnie chided.

Caroline looked at Bonnie, who stared back at her straight-faced. "OK, fine! I hereby vow not to be judgmental for the rest of the evening! Even if you two are potentially ruining your lives as I stand idly by, it's your choice." Caroline scowled

Elena stood up"I'll drink to that. Cheers." she grinned as Bonnie and Caroline held up their wine bottles while Elena touched their glasses with her blood bag.

Once the girls had sorted out their issues, they began to get the party started. The champagne began to flow and the music was pumping out loud. Elena and Caroline began dancing on the coffee table in the parlor whilst Bonnie took videos it on her phone. The highlight was when Elena started to vamp-speed around the room with Bonnie attempting to film it whilst drunk on champagne.

Eventually the girls made their way upstairs into Damon's bathroom, which had recently become Elena's favorite room in the Salvatore house. The shower in particular held some very memorable moments. Elena lay down in the empty tub whilst Bonnie and Caroline were sat next to her, all three of them giggling from being buzzed on champagne, dancing and laughing.

"Check this out: vamp-speed video." Bonnie giggled as she handed Elena her phone to watched the video, causing Elena to laugh.

"I look like Superman." she giggled "Watch this." she said as she paused the video at a point where she was vamp-speeding in the room, which showed giant blur behind her due to the speed at which she is running at. She held her phone out to show Bonnie and Caroline."This year's Christmas card." she announced as they all laughed.

"Being a vampire is so weird." Elena laughed. "Oh my God, I love this bathtub." she drooled. "Why don't we come and hang out here more often?" Elena frowned and laughed.

"I'll tell you why. Cooties." Caroline chimed in. "Think of all the germ-ridden skanks that Damon has lured into his den of inequity." Caroline giggled prompting Elena to sit up in the bath tub, feeling offended and slightly disgusted by Caroline's remark. "Okay, I'm sorry. I've been good all night. I am stopping now." Caroline held her hands up in apology.

"No, don't stop on my account. Rip away. I mean, it's only Damon, right?" Elena said sarcastically.

"Well, say what you want about Ripper Stefan, but at least he wasn't a man slut." Caroline announced smugly.

"Come on." Bonnie groaned, even she was unimpressed by Caroline's sly digs at Damon.

"So, what exactly was it about him that made you jump right into bed with him as soon as you met him?" Elena decided it was time to get revenge on Caroline's bitchy comments.

"I didn't know what a sociopathic narcissist he was." Caroline sneered.

"He's always been there for me when I needed him." Elena smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, because he's hoping you'll sleep with him." Caroline scoffed.

"Well, maybe I did." Elena stated confidently, prompting Caroline and Bonnie to look at her in shock.

"You did what?!" Caroline cried.

"You didn't." chided Bonnie.

"Yeah, I did. Look, I know you two have issues with him, but I'm happy, and I wanted to spend tonight with my best friends so that I could tell them about it." Elena said sadly as she got up and out from the bathtub before walking away, leaving Caroline and Bonnie in the bathroom, still in shock.

Elena went downstairs to the parlor and began cleaning up the mess from the party. She was fuming, they were supposed to be her friends and be there for her, be happy for her if she was happy. Bonnie was disappointed in her, she could tell, but she was sure that she'd eventually come around. Caroline on the other hand had been downright rude about Damon. She knew she should have expected it as Damon had warned her she was on the warpath, but Caroline's pathological defense of Stefan was annoying. Especially when she only knew half of the story. Elena was disturbed from what she was doing as she heard Bonnie and Caroline come downstairs to talk to her.

"Elena, come on." Bonnie pleaded.

"Party is over. You guys need to leave." Elena told them.

"Don't be mad, okay? We're just looking out for you." Caroline begged

Elena turned around to look at her so called friends. "Do you think it makes me happy that you guys hate him?" she cried. "I get it. His track record has been kind of spotty but I don't hate him. I can't. He's...I think I'm falling in love with him." Elena admitted

"Ugh, you're not falling in love with him, Elena. You're sired to him." Caroline yelled

Bonnie looked at Caroline in shock, whilst Elena simply raised her eyebrow at her friend. She'd been waiting for Caroline to say something about the non-existent sire bond, although it wasn't Caroline's place to be the one to tell her, and judging from the slightly ashamed look on Caroline's face, she knew she'd made a mistake. However Elena knew that Caroline just couldn't help herself.

"What?" Bonnie cried as Elena rolled her eyes.

"No I'm not." Elena simply stated. "You're wrong!" her faced hardened with anger.

Caroline walked down the steps towards Elena."I...Look, I'm sorry that it came out like that, but it's true. Damon's blood turned you. You couldn't feed from animals or blood bags because he told you so. Then he suggested that you try again with blood bags and suddenly..." Caroline went on.

"Caroline, are you sure?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. Ask Stefan about it. He can explain it better than I can." Caroline told Bonnie.

"I'm sorry, you talked to Stefan about this?" Elena asked angrily.

"It's not your fault, Elena." Caroline tried to calm her friend down. "Okay, Damon took advantage of you." she said.

"Firstly Caroline, I could feed on animal blood. It just tasted disgusting. You didn't do it for very long did you?" Elena accused a very sheepish looking Caroline who didn't answer. "I only tried the bunny diet to please Stefan." she carried on. "Damon was concerned that if I didn't know how to control the blood lust it might be dangerous for me to be living with Jeremy if he cut himself as I wouldn't know how to control myself. He was right because I nearly ended up killing Matt, Damon pulled me away from him before I drained him." Elena admitted.

"That doesn't mean you're not sired Elena." Caroline offered. "Damon wanted you to control your blood lust before you could feed on blood bags, so you did."

"Okay." Elena changed tack. "Damon told me to kill the Hunter. Last I knew he was still alive. I was too concerned about Jeremy to go after him. That was a direct command from Damon and it didn't do it."

"But we don't know exactly how a sire bond works in vampires." Caroline insisted. It might be more of an emotional tie than the way it affects the hybrids. They are sired because they're grateful to Klaus..."

"Wait, have you talked to Tyler about this too?" Elena shouted.

"I was only trying to get more information." Caroline pleaded, practically in tears.

"Okay, you need to leave." Elena yelled angrily as Caroline just stood rooted to the spot speechless with shock. "Now!" Elena demanded at the top of her voice, as she stormed past Caroline and Bonnie to the front door, gesturing for them to leave.

"Elena!" Bonnie begged.

"Come on!" Caroline pleaded.

"I said leave." Elena insisted, her voice getting angrier by the moment.

When neither Caroline nor Bonnie made any attempt to move, Elena opened the front door in a gesture for them to leave whist she continued to glare at Caroline and Bonnie.

"Hello girls." said a female voice from the other side of the door as Elena turned around and saw two people standing in the doorway who she recognized as the hybrids Adrian and Kimberley, the latter having a grin plastered all over her face.

Suddenly Kimberley rushed into the house, knocking Elena into the wall in the process. She rushed at Caroline and grabbed her by the throat. Whilst Adrian ran in and grabbed Elena who tried her best to fight back and even managed to push him against a wall, however Adrian was older and a hybrid meaning that he was stronger and he inevitably gained the upper-hand over Elena, slamming her into the wall, his hand wrapped around her throat.. Not one to give in, Elena managed to wrap her hand around the hybrid's throat in retaliation. Suddenly the lights began to flicker and break, alerting the vampires and hybrids alike that Bonnie was starting to cast a powerful spell to save her friends.

"Stop!" Kimberley shouted as Bonnie looked at Kimberley whose eyes had turned yellow, causing Bonnie to stop the spell. "One bite from a hybrid and she's dead, remember?" Kimberley warned

Adrian threw Elena to the floor and Bonnie rushed over to help Elena get up. However, when they turned around, they saw that Kimberley, Adrian and most importantly, Caroline had all gone.

"Caroline?" Elena screamed as she and Bonnie looked out of the front door for any sign of Caroline, but there was none.

"I'll do a locator spell." Bonnie suggested immediately, getting the candles set up.

"I'm calling Tyler." Elena announced. "He's dealing with the hybrids, he might know where they've taken her." she added taking out her phone.

Half an hour later Elena and Tyler were both on their phones as they made their way through the woods near Pastor Young's old farm. They'd left Bonnie behind because they knew the quickest way to get stable where Tyler suspected they had taken her was if they vamp-speed there. Also Bonnie had wanted to try to find their friend through a locator spell just in case Tyler was wrong. Elena hung up on a very distraught Bonnie who had just told her the spell hadn't worked. Tyler, however was still on the phone to his werewolf friend Hayley, the one who Damon had wanted to know about. If the circumstances were different, she'd question him herself to find out what they were up to.

"I get it, Hayley. I'll find them and I'll get them in line." Elena hear Tyler insist as he hung up on his friend.

"Bonnie says no luck with the locator spell." Elena told him.

"They've gotta be here. They're not dumb enough to risk getting caught by Klaus in town." Tyler pointed out.

"Well, what do they want with Caroline?" Elena asked as she stopped walking prompting Tyler to turn and face her.

"Kim is trying to prove that she's the Alpha." Tyler explained. "If I can make her submit, the pack will fall in line and we can finally get them free of Klaus. You'd think they'd play along with how much they hate him." he grumbled.

"But Adrian doesn't, does he? I mean he's still sired to Klaus." Elena frowned.

"Being sired doesn't mean you feel differently about someone. I hated Klaus but I still did everything he said. The bond affects how you act, not how you feel." Tyler informed her only to be interrupted by the sound of Caroline's piercing scream.

"Caroline." Tyler cried as both Tyler and Elena looked at each other in horror before running towards origin of where the screams were coming from, which looked to Elena to be some sort of run down stable.

Elena and Tyler ran inside the barn to find Caroline's tied up against some iron rods, her hands in shackles. Kimberley was pressing down on the chains which was the reason Caroline to shout in pain. Once again Kimberley cracked Caroline's wrists causing Caroline to scream in pain once more, prompting Tyler and Elena rushed towards them.

"Stop! Stop it, Kim. Caroline's with us. All right? We're all on the same team." Tyler commanded holding his hands up.

"She's on your team, not mine." Kimberley told him sarcastically, as slowly the barn began to fill up with more hybrids. Once all of the hybrids had entered the barn, they made their way over to Elena and Tyler and restrained them while Kimberley continued to torturing a screaming Caroline. Although Elena knew she couldn't do anything against her captor, Tyler managed to free himself from the grasp of the two hybrids who were holding him back.

"Stop it! Stop!" Tyler shouted.

"Ease up, Kim. Klaus won't like this." Adrian chided.

"That's a very good point. Do you think he'll like this?" Kimberley asked sarcastically as she picked up a stake, showing it to Tyler and the rest of the hybrids.

"Kim! Don't do it. I swear to God!" threatened Tyler as Kimberley lowered the stakes towards Caroline's heart, with a smirk on her face.

"No, wait, wait, wait, wait. If you really want to hit Klaus where it hurts, then torture me instead. He's fixated on keeping me alive. You want real revenge or not?" Elena piped up, seeing it as a chance to distract them for long enough and hoping Tyler got the message that this was the time to attack.

Kimberley hesitated for a moment, eyeing Elena with suspicion, however she gradually lowered the stake, got up and moved toward Elena. Grabbing Elena by the throat, Kimberley got ready to kill her just as Tyler managed to get himself free from the hybrids who were holding him back. He grabbed Kimberley, sticking his hand in her chest and grabbing her heart, causing Kimberley to gasp in pain. The other hybrids began moving over towards her as if they were trying to protect her.

"Stay back! I'll rip her heart out right now!" Tyler warned, commanded the pack to back away. The hybrids stopped and didn't make any more moves towards Tyler and Kimberley, leaving them to fight it out.

Tyler at looked Kimberley dead in the eye. "Kim put you all at risk today but I'm not gonna hurt her. I'm not Klaus." he said looking around at the other hybrids. "I don't kill and torture my own friends to get what I want. Now, we broke the sire bond, but if you want to be free we have to work together. No one can step out of line. Now, you're either with me or you're against me. Submit. Submit or you die." Tyler instructed them.

Kimberley fell down on her knees and Tyler knelt down with her, keeping his hand in her chest and his grasp around her heart.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Kimberley cried as Tyler finally removed his hand from her chest. Kimberley began to gasp and catch her breath as Tyler stood up and looked down at Kimberley. He then looked around at the other hybrids and one by one, they all began to get down on their knees, submitting to Tyler and showing him the respect of a pack Alpha.

Elena returned to the house, leaving Caroline to come back with Tyler as they needed time to talk. When she arrived, she found Bonnie sat waiting patiently in the parlor as Elena opted to use Damon's bathroom, which she preferred instead of the one on the ground floor. As she walked back down the stairs she saw Caroline coming back into the house. They look one look at each other for a moment before Caroline rushed up to Elena, hugging her.

"I'm sorry!" Caroline apologized as she squeezed so Elena tightly that she was unable to speak. "Okay, if you don't start hugging me back this is gonna get really awkward really fast." Caroline said worriedly.

"You've got my hands pinned down." Elena managed to choke as if she were running out of air.

"Oh." Caroline giggled as she took her arms away from around Elena for a moment before wrapping them around her again, this time without pinning her arms to her side. Elena immediately responded by wrapping her arms around Caroline as they hugged each other tightly. "I'm a jerk." Caroline admitted. "I promise to never again judge ever."

"Just please don't tell Stefan about me and Damon." Elena pleaded as they stopped hugging each other. "I promise that I'll tell him. I just...I need to figure out some stuff first." she explained.

"Of course." Caroline smiled rubbing Elena's arm, a gesture of support.

Just then Bonnie entered the room from behind Elena. "You guys friends again?" she asked, noticing their smiles she joined in. "Thank God." she said, a huge smile erupting on her face.

"Well, she saved my life. In spite of me being the nasty, bad witch." Caroline admitted smiling.

"Thankfully we had our good witch." Elena grinned. "You know, your hottie-creepy Professor really knows his stuff, Bonnie."

"It's been baby steps but he's helping with a whole new kind of magic." Bonnie told her proudly. "He calls it Expression." Elena raised her eyebrow at that piece of information. This was what Damon had asked her to find out from Bonnie. She'd forgotten to ask her with all of the surrounding drama of the evening's events, but now she didn't need to as Bonnie had already volunteered what Elena had wanted to know.

After Bonnie and Caroline finally said their goodbye's and headed home. Taking one look at mess in the parlor Elena decided it was too late to start tidying at that moment, she was too exhausted, instead she would tackle the cleaning up the next day considering she'd have plenty of time before Stefan and Damon would be back home from their trip. With that in mind, Elena headed up to Damon's room, removed her clothes and crawled into Damon's bed, drowning herself in his comforting scent.

The next morning Elena decided to make a start by cleaning up the champagne bottles from the sleepover from the previous night. She was almost done in the parlor when suddenly her senses picked up Damon scent alerting her to the fact that he'd just walked into the room. Elena's stomach began to do back-flips by his mere presence, she wondered if she'd ever get over her reaction to just being around him. It baffled her how she'd managed to fight her desire for him for so long, because even when she was a human, he had the same effect on her, however, now she knew how he could make her feel, and combined with her heightened senses as a vampire, her reaction was significantly heightened, he had the power to turn her to a quivering mass of nerves. Trying to play it cool, she didn't look over at him, even though it was obvious she knew that he was there.

Damon quietly leaned against the door frame, deciding to let Elena make the first move as he watched her, wondering why she was ignoring him.

"Hey." Elena finally said getting up after putting the last empty bottle in the crate.

"Hey back." Damon replied as he continued standing there, still a little confused by her behavior.

"How was your night?" Elena asked as she turned around to look at him.

"Awful. Yours?" Damon admitted.

"Same." Elena complained.

"Elena, um...we need to talk..." Damon sighed as he walked towards her.

"I know that Caroline and Stefan are or were still convinced that I'm sired to you." Elena interrupted. "I tried to explain to Caroline, but I don't think she believed me. Did you manage to convince Stefan that I'm not? she asked nervously.

"Yeah, I think I did. Which is why we need to talk." Damon frowned.

"Why? What's wrong?." Elena asked.

"The plan has changed, Elena." Damon told her causing Elena to frown. "Stefan was so cut up by the idea that you could possibly switch teams to me, he convinced himself that there had to be some nefarious reason behind it. His first choice was because you had become a vampire, which is why he initially started looking for the cure. Then he got it onto his thick head that it was a sire bond, so instead he thought that by breaking it, you would return back to the old factory team Stefan settings. With that option now off the cards, he's back in full 'hunt for the cure mode'." Damon sighed.

"So he actually told you that he was going to start looking for the cure again?" Elena asked.

"Well he didn't outright say he was, but I could tell that's what he was planning." Damon told her. "I think he's convinced himself that you only have feelings for me because you're a vampire, and if you were human again...You'd no longer feel the same way about me." he said quietly. "And I guess he's hoping that if he's right, you'll run straight back into his arms."

"You don't think that as well do you?" Elena asked. "I mean, I know I've changed since I've become a vampire. We all do. You know as well as I do that it doesn't change our feelings, it just heightens them. That's what happened to me, and now I'm finally happy, because I'm with you." she insisted.

"You know what would make _me_ happy?" Damon asked. "To know that this entire time that I've been completely in love with you, that what you actually felt for me, was real, and not _just_ because you're a vampire." he admitted.

"It is real. I know that it is Damon." Elena argued, casting her mind back to what she had been thinking about the way Damon made her feel, only a few minutes earlier when he entered the room. "Are you trying to tell me that you want to find the cure for me too?" she asked as slowly, she kept walking towards Damon until they were mere inches apart.

"I don't _want_ to find it, Elena. I'm not the good guy, remember? I'm the selfish one. I take what I want. I do what I want. I lie to my brother, I fall in love with his girl, I don't do the right thing." Damon argued. "But I have to do the right thing by you, I at least have try and give you the choice. You might feel differently about taking it if it's right there in your hands. And yes, I am worried that you might feel differently about me if you become human again." he admitted sadly.

Elena took Damon's hand and placed it against her heart. "Does this feel wrong?" she asked, placing her hand against Damon's cheek, staring lovingly into his blue eyes.

"Well, if I was a doctor I might be a little concerned." Damon joked, offering Elena a weak smile. "Look Elena, I don't care whether you are human or vampire. I will love you either way. And I would never force you to take the cure. But Stefan and Klaus are not going to stop until they find it, so me not looking is no longer an option." he told her.

"But what about Bonnie and Jeremy?" Elena cried.

"That's why I've decided to help." Damon told her as Elena's face fell. "I can't protect them if I'm being kept in the dark." he explained. "So my plan is to join in with the cure hunt. I told Stefan that I was going to try to talk you into considering taking the cure, meaning I'd help with the search. That way I can keep an eye on Jeremy and Bonnie and protect them. And again, I promise you Elena, I will never force you to take the cure, it will always be your choice."

"So what are you planning on doing to protect them?" Elena frowned as Damon wrapped his arms around her waist, prompting her to wrap hers around his neck.

"Kiss me first and I might tell you all about it." he growled smiling with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well I managed to get some information that you might find interesting." Elena smirked. "So maybe you need to kiss me first." she winked.

"I've got a better idea. " Damon bent his head down and whispered seductively into Elena's ear. "We could go up to my bed and stay there for the rest of the day and tease the information from each other."

"What about Stefan?" Elena asked.

"He can't join us! Even I'm not that kinky." Damon joked.

"I don't mean that." Elena groaned. "I mean what if he comes back whilst we're..."

"Exchanging information about our little missions?" Damon smirked. "Don't worry. He's gone hunting and then he's going to see Blondie, he'll probably want to spill his guts about our trip, paint her nails and get her to help him shape his hero hair or whatever. He'll be gone for hours."

"Okay." Elena shrugged and immediately jumped up, wrapping arms around Damon's neck and her legs around his waist, then smiled, prompting him to vamp-speed them both up to his bedroom as they kissed passionately the entire way.

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning smutty goodness ahead.**

Elena woke to the sun streaming the windows in Damon's bedroom. She turned over onto her side and took a look at Damon who was sleeping next to her. She gazed at him for a moment, wondering for a moment, if she'd ever get used to waking up to his beautiful face before took her by surprise and spoke

"This would be so much more fun if we were naked." he groaned.

"You're too much of a distraction when you're naked." Elena complained back, prompting Damon opens his eyes and look at her. "Yesterday afternoon and last night was a perfect example of how distracting you can be when we're naked. Eleven times we were distracted from planning if I remember correctly." she added.

"Twelve." Damon corrected her. "We should've talked about this at your place." he complained as he rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "You shouldn't have stayed." he continued as he got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. "I promised myself I wouldn't throw 'us' in Stefan's face. Which is why I didn't tell him that we slept together. And then I let you stay the night in my bed."

"I know." Elena said sheepishly as she sat up on the bed.

Damon took his shirt off and got a fresh dark blue one out of his drawers and puts it on. "You're a vampire, Elena. Which means now you know how sensitive our hearing is." Damon pointed out.

"I know, Damon, but it's either that or my place." Elena complained as she got off the bed and walked over to Damon. "And if you stay over at mine, we'd be even more distracted from cooking up a plan as we wouldn't have any excuse to not be naked."

"Well, we've not discussed much about _our_ non-existent plan yet to save Sabrina and Little Gilbert from Klaus and Professor Snake. Although, lucky for you, I already have one and I've set it in motion." Damon smirked.

"Well now we're not distracted, you tell me about your plan." Elena said.

"Okay, well firstly I told Stefan I would talk to you about trying to get the cure." Damon sighed.

"Yeah, I already know about that. And?" Elena asked.

"I was thinking that we might get away for a few days, whilst everyone else is trying to fight the big bad hybrid wolf." Damon smirked.

"And where would we go?" Elena asked.

"Somewhere quiet, secluded, romantic, maybe the Gilbert Lake House?" Damon suggested although it was clear from his tone of his voice the decision was already made. "We can lure Sabrina out there to put a spell on the cabin to keep Jeremy protected from Stefan and Klaus. I want to see her cast the spell, because from what you told me last night, I'm beginning to suspect she doesn't have full control over her magic, which is very dangerous, especially when we're dealing with the dark stuff."

"And how do you plan on keeping her there?" Elena eyed him suspiciously.

"With my winning charm of course." Damon grinned. "Okay, maybe not. How about we leave that part to Little Gilbert. Love is in the air and all, it's a win win." he winked.

Elena sighed. "What are we going to tell Stefan?"

"We're taking Sabrina and Little Gilbert to the Lake House to protect them from Professor Creepy." Damon explained. "Which both he and Klaus will buy because Stefan knows that the guy is up to something dastardly and could be putting them both in danger and he can't have that happen as they are needed for the cure."

"Won't Stefan want to come up to the Lake House?" Elena asked.

"Stefan will be on Klaus and Professor Creepy duty." Damon told her prompting a puzzled look. "Him dealing with Klaus is a given. No encouragement needed from me. I'm going to ask him to keep an eye on Tyler and his werewolf friend as I think she is tied up with that Professor guy, and I want to know what she's up to." he smiled.

"And you think Stefan will help?" Elena frowned.

"Let's just say our little trip to New Orleans should be enough to make him curious enough to want to find out for himself." Damon grinned.

"What about me?" Elena asked. "What do you want me to do?"

Damon moved closer to Elena so that their bodies were practically touching and their faces were merely inches apart. "I want to throw you back in my bed and never let you leave." Damon growled.

"So do it." Suggested Elena seductively.

"I can't." Damon groaned. "If Stefan comes back, he'll hear us."

"There's always the shower." Elena winked as she walked over to the huge walk in shower, taking her clothes off along the way, as Damon stood watching her with his mouth open, Elena fully testing his resolve.

Elena turned the nozzle on to allow the cool water to quickly warm before standing under the spray, waiting for Damon to join her. She understood Damon's reasoning for trying to not upset Stefan and to keep their carnal activities to a minimum as there was a chance he could hear them. This was why Damon's shower was fast becoming Elena's favorite place in the world. Stefan wouldn't be able to hear what they were doing through the noise of the water spray, although he could probably take a pretty good guess.

Elena noticed that Damon hadn't joined her and was instead stood there with his arms folded leaning up against the bathroom entrance, watching her shower which made her feel a little disappointed. Damon had a knack of getting her worked up just by talking to her seductively. It was the tone of his voice that turned her on, he could have been reciting the periodic table for all she cared and it would have still gotten her wet with desire, their conversation just moments ago had been no exception. The annoying part was that he was now fully aware of the power he had over her, and up until this point, she thought she had the same power over him, although she could tell he had a bulge in his trousers, so maybe he was reigning in his control somehow. She wondered if it would be useful to learn whatever technique Damon used for herself, although that wouldn't help her current predicament. She was horny, and she needed relief, preferably at Damon's hands.

Knowing Damon could be extremely stubborn when he had his mind set on something, Elena decided to go for underhanded tactics. This was not something that came natural to her, she was fairly shy and sexually inexperienced. However if she were to spend the rest of eternity with Damon, she knew that was something about her which would have to change. Damon was clearly very experienced, she'd even heard rumors that he'd once had a threesome with Rebekah and Sage, which led to her suspect he'd probably gotten himself involved in all types of sexual experimentation over the years, his tally likely to be in the thousands, not three, including him, like hers. The thought wasn't pleasant, but it somehow gave her the confidence to throw caution to the wind because there was nothing she could do to be embarrassed about. He'd probably seen and done everything, therefore it was her job to make what she was going to do, be as sexy as possible.

Elena turned her back to Damon and pretended to ignore him, hoping he wouldn't leave, so the show she was about to put on for him wouldn't be for nothing. Firstly she rinsed her hair and ran her fingers through it to make sure it was entirely wet, lifting her face towards the water, eyes closed and allowing it to pour all over her face before she went to find the soap and start the show.

Damon watched Elena through the glass with amusement. He knew what she was trying to do and he decided to let her have her fun for a while whilst he had his. Elena was trying her hardest to be sexy but it was clear that Elena was not used to playing the vixen. He'd had experience seeing Katherine play that part in his shower after she'd been locked in the tomb with the moonstone, and it had had no effect on him at the time. Katherine and Elena might have a physical resemblance but it really did stop there. Katherine knew how to be sexy, it was her default setting, which in the right moment was hot, however it could also be sleazy. Damon didn't have an issue with sleaze, in fact he used to revel in a life of sleazy sex, booze, blood and killing. But things had changed, he had changed. He'd met the woman in front of him, a guileless girl who was doing her best to be a seductress, shimmying her hips and massaging her breasts to try and turn him on. Unfortunately for Elena, she was not a seductress and she even managed to make her actions look slightly clumsy. This didn't bother Damon though, because for some reason he found he innocence hotter, especially as he knew it was something she's never done before and she'd never do it again for anyone else, only he would ever get to see this side of her for all eternity.

Although her movements were clumsy and her confidence was fake, her arousal was not. Even above the steam and the smell of soap, he could still pick out the faint traces of her scent alerting him to her needs. The knowledge of her arousal went straight to his groin and the erection he'd been carrying for the past couple of minutes watching her, was growing ever harder. Deciding he'd had enough, he silently removed his clothes and slipped into the shower behind her.

Elena moved her hands across her body as sensually as she could using the soap and water as a useful lubricant in an attempt to make the movements look as sexy as possible. She started to massage her breasts, closing her eyes and imagining it was Damon who's hands were pinching her nipples. That thought alone made her feel even more turned on. She desperately needed to find some relief and if Damon was going to be stubborn and not help her out, she'd have to finish the job herself. Just as she was about to move the soap further down her body, she felt Damon's arms around her waist, his erection poking into her back, as he took the bar of soap from her hands.

"I think that's my job." Damon whispered huskily into Elena's ear his chin resting on her shoulder whilst he placed the soap back in it's dish.

Reaching around Elena's waist from behind, Damon began to massage her breasts, pinching her nipples whilst he nibbled her neck, causing her to throw her head back in desire. Damon took hold of one of her hands and laced his fingers through hers, directing them down to her core whilst continuing to massage one of her breasts with the other. He slipped his hand out of hers as his fingers began to gently circle her nub, sending electric shocks throughout Elena's body, causing her to moan loudly with pleasure and grab hold of his arm to keep her balance. She arched her back and moved her other hand behind her and gently grabbed hold of Damon's shaft and began to slowly run her hand up and down.

"Elena..." Damon moaned as he inserted two fingers and began to move inside her whilst his thumb continued to circle her clit.

"I...need...you...inside...of...me...now!" Elena manged to say between moans. She didn't need to ask twice, before she knew it, Damon had removed his fingers, turned around to face her and pushed her up against the glass front of the shower. He picked her up and helped her wrapped her legs around his waist as he slowly entered her causing Elena to practically come apart at the seams. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he began to pick up the pace, hitting spots she never knew existed.

For the first time during their time of making love, they didn't kiss, instead they rested their foreheads against each other and stared into each other's eyes. Elena couldn't believe how erotic and yet how emotional it made her feel. Damon's eyes were heavy and lidded had turned what appeared to be a translucent blue with desire, his wet hair an even inkier black than usual and his pale skin face was slightly flushed from the steam from the shower.

Elena ran her fingers through Damon's wet raven hair, messing it up as they suddenly began to kiss, this time biting each other's lips, their tongue's sweeping through the other's mouth, fighting for dominance. The heat began to build up even more intensely inside Elena, signaling she was close to her release.

"I'm gonna come Damon..." Elena whispered breathlessly.

"Me too..." Damon moaned back as he took one of her hands, laced it in moving them between their bodies, down to her magic little button. He took his finger took hers and guided it towards her swollen nub before he began to circle her finger around it.

Damon then bent his head and took one of her now very sensitive nipples in her mouth and began to lick and suck until Elena could take no more. Her body felt like it was ripping apart, she was going dizzy as Damon continued to thrust inside of her, he'd upped the pace which signaled his impending release.

"Damon..." she screamed as her world came crashing down, nothing else existed, just her and Damon and extreme pleasure.

"Uh...Elena...fuck..." Elena heard Damon cry before she felt him shudder and the warm fluids from his release inside her as his head collapsed against the glass.

They stayed stood there like that for a few moments before Elena unwrapped her legs from his waist and dropped down to the floor, however her arms remained in place around his neck and his around her waist. He pulled her in close as they kissed and smiled it each other.

"Did you like my plan?" Damon asked grinning.

"There are a couple of flaws." Elena told him, causing him to raise an eyebrow. "Firstly, this is not your bed. And secondly, we need to leave soon before Stefan gets back, otherwise he's going to find out about us, and I don't want him to find out about us like this. If he doesn't have hope about me and him with the cure, he won't keep an eye on Klaus" she explained.

"Which puts both Sabrina and Jeremy in danger." Damon grimaced

"Why do you want to keep them both safe so much?" Elena asked. "You don't care about either of them."

"Not true." Damon looked slightly hurt. "I like Jeremy Yeah he can be an annoying little shit at times but he's seventeen, the same age as Stefan" the thought causing Damon and Elena to both shudder. "Also, as your boyfriend, I've decided that it is my responsibility to become the back up guardian angel when his sister is unavailable. Jeremy being alive and well makes my life easier." he grinned.

"Look at you being all responsible and grown up." Elena laughed. "Who are you and what have you done with Damon Salvatore?"

"You mean the bloodthirsty hot sex god of a vampire? He's right here." Damon smirked prompting Elena to roll her eyes.

"And Bonnie?" she asked. "Why are you protecting her?"

"Shane is up to something." Damon said in a deadly serious tone. "Whatever it is, it's related to finding the cure and he needs Bonnie up to help him. But if what you told me about Bonnie is right, and he's teaching her Expression, it's dark magic Elena. He's not in this hunt for the cure to vampirism. There's something in it for him and I think it is something to do with someone called Silas." he frowned.

"Who's that?" Elena asked.

"I have no idea." Damon said honestly. "Okay, change of subject, strawberry or apple?"

"Huh?" Elena frowned in confusion.

"Shampoo." Damon rolled his eyes. "Stefan is going to be back soon and we need to shower before he does or our plan goes to pieces."

"Okay, strawberry." Elena smiled as Damon reached for the strawberry shampoo.

After finishing their shower, Damon and Elena headed down to the parlor to wait for Stefan. He'd promised them he'd return back from hunting as quickly as possible to go over their plan to find the cure. Damon lit the fire in the parlor before heading to the wet bar to pour him and Elena a drink as they heard the door open and Stefan walk in.

"Hey." Elena smiled, not knowing where to put her eyes.

"Hey." Stefan replied back. The awkwardness could be cut with a knife.

"Morning Stefan." Damon chimed in, ignoring the tension in the room whilst handing Elena her drink. "Did you say hi to Thumper for me?" he smiled sarcastically causing Stefan to groan and roll his eyes as he sat down. "Good we're all here." Damon went on as he looked at Stefan. "I need you to find out what Blondie knows about Tyler's wolf girlfriend and what she's planning to do with the hybrids." he said.

"I already told you." Stefan explained. "They're trying to break the sire bond."

"I know that, but why?" Damon asked.

Stefan gave confused look. "Um...maybe because they want their freedom?"

"I get that, but what I mean is why is the little she-wolf helping. What's in it for her?" Damon asked.

"Maybe they're her friends?" Elena suggested.

"I don't buy it." Damon paced over to one of the chairs and flopped down. "There has to be more to it than that."

"Why are you so convinced Hayley is involved with Professor Shane?" Stefan asked.

"Because she turned up just after Pastor Young blew up the town council, which you know, just happens to coincide with the arrival of our delightful hunter and Professor Creepy's request to see Sabrina at Whitmore College." Damon said as he took a sip from his glass. "They were looking very chatty at the pageant. And oh, I dunno, I just don't believe in coincidences. What are they planning to do after they've all been unsired Huh? Holiday in Disneyland?" he asked as Stefan shook his head. "That's what we need to find out Stefan. That is part one of your mission for today."

"Uh, excuse me, but when did you become the one in charge of looking for the cure?" Stefan asked.

"I didn't." Damon exclaimed. "What I did do was volunteer for babysitting duty." he smirked.

"Babysitting duty?" Stefan raised his eyebrows.

Elena cleared her throat. "Um, yeah, Damon and I, we're going up to the Lake House to watch over Jeremy and Bonnie."

"And it takes both of you to look after Jeremy and Bonnie?" Stefan eyed them both suspiciously.

"Nope. It only needs me." Damon stated.

"I'm not letting Jeremy go to the Lake House without me." Elena protested. "I want to make sure he is safe."

"And Elena can't beat you're ass yet. Ergo I go with her." Damon smiled smugly.

"Why both Jeremy and Bonnie." Stefan asked. "Klaus won't need Jeremy until the mark is ready."

"And this is where you come in brother." Damon said as he got up and walked over to the refill his glass. "Mission number two for the day. We need to know what is Klaus doing about that little issue. I'd have thought he'd have turned the entire continental US by now if it meant completing The Hunter's mark." he took a sip from his glass. "I'd do it myself, but I don't think Klaus likes me very much. You brother, on the other hand..." Damon trailed off.

"Why are you taking Bonnie to the Lake House?" Stefan asked.

"Sabrina told Elena that Professor Snake was teaching her Expression." Damon shrugged.

"That's the same magic that Nandi was talking about yesterday." Stefan frowned as Damon smiled smugly.

"Yep, just as I suspected." Damon replied. "I just hope the one sacrifice was enough to juice her up for whatever Professor Creepy has in mind, because it sure as hell isn't about finding the cure."

"He sacrificed someone for Bonnie's magic?" Elena asked, shocked at this revelation.

"Nope, he sacrificed the town council, twelve to be exact." Stefan told her. "Damon spotted it as he'd had experience with sacrifices and the number twelve before, didn't you Damon?" accused Stefan.

"It was a long time ago." Damon admitted before turning to look directly at Elena. "Don't worry Elena, I made sure they were the disgusting low life's of society. A menace that the streets needed to be rid of. I was doing New Orleans a favor." he took a sip of his drink as Elena raised her eyebrows at him.

"Okay, anything else?" Stefan asked.

"Check that Klaus has the sword. If the mark is nearly ready, we need to make sure we have the tools to find the cure." Damon finished his drink and headed out of the parlor.

"Where are you going?" Stefan called prompting Damon to turn back around to face him.

"To pack. Diapers, bottles, grimoires. The usual babysitting stuff." he winked before continuing upstairs to pack.

Elena turned to face Stefan. "I think I still have a few things left in your room, do you mind if I get them?" Elena asked awkwardly. "It means I won't have to go home and pack. We can just meet Bonnie and Jeremy at the Lake House."

"Sure." Stefan sighed. "Go on up. Take all of the time you need." he offered.

"Thanks." Elena replied as she got up and left, heading for Stefan's room to pack.

Deciding to hold up his end of the bargain and give Elena time to search his room in private, Stefan headed over to Klaus's place to see if he could find out more about the sword and how things were progressing with Connor's tattoo. As he walked through the doors, he heard a noise coming from where he knew Klaus's art studio to be. He walked over to the entrance of the room and looked inside to see Klaus with a brush in his hand, as he completed his new masterpiece.

"Looks like a giant snowflake." Stefan commented.

"I prefer to think of it as an expression of postmodernism. It's my donation to the Winter Wonderland charity event." Klaus corrected him as one of his hybrids, who Stefan recognized as Adrian entered the room.

"You said it was urgent." Adrian said to Klaus.

"Yes, take this to the Mystic Grill immediately." Klaus smiled.

"You want me to be a delivery guy?" Adrian raised an eyebrow in disgust.

Klaus walked forward, closing the gap between him and Adrian. "What I want is for you to do whatever I say. Without the attitude." Klaus warned as Adrian gulped before walking over to the painting picking it up.

"And be careful with that. It's still wet." Klaus called out as the hybrid left the room.

"Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves, you know." observed Stefan.

"What is the point of my hybrids being sired to me if I can't maximize on the benefits of free labor?" Klaus complained. "What are you doing here?" he asked as Stefan walked down the stairs into the room.

"Elena is sired to Damon." Stefan lied.

"I intuited as much." Klaus shrugged.

"Which means I need to find the cure now more than ever and yet here you are making postmodern snowflakes." demanded Stefan.

"I've delivered." Klaus argued.

"You have?" Stefan asked. "So tell me, how is the Hunter's mark coming along? I thought you'd have found enough vampires for Connor to kill by now."

"Patience Stefan." Klaus replied. "As much as my reputation for a ruthless killer precedes me, I have taken quite a liking to sleepy this little town. Killing half of it's occupants to create vampires wouldn't be a very neighborly thing for me to do, now would it? Instead I've got my hybrids out searching the bigger towns and cities where people frequently disappear. Ones that won't be noticed."

"That's very...charitable of you." Stefan frowned.

"Well, you know, Christmas and all." Klaus winked. "Let's just say that to reveal the mark, we will far need more vampires than I anticipated. It turns out he's already killed hundreds, and yet the tattoo that young Jeremy drew, suggests the mark is not even half completed." Klaus explained.

"I've managed to get Damon on board with finding the cure." Stefan told Klaus changing the subject.

"And how did you manage that?" Klaus asked.

"I told him that Elena chose me as a human, which means the only reason she chose him was because she was a vampire and because she's sired to him. Damon doesn't care if Elena is a human or a vampire, he loves her either way. But he wants to know that Elena would choose him if she were human, and to break the sire bond. He needs to know that her feelings for him are real. I think he managed to get her to at least consider taking the cure to break the sire bond, meaning Jeremy won't be an issue anymore." Stefan explained.

"Feeding his insecurities." Klaus smiled. "Clever, although you yourself are taking a risk. She might still chose your brother over you, even as a human."

"Never!" Stefan scoffed. "Anyway, he and Elena are taking Jeremy and Bonnie to the Gilbert Lake House to keep them under his protection whilst you feed Connor with vampires to kill."

"And why would he do that?" Klaus asked. "I'm not going to hurt Jeremy, he's the key to all of this. And why should I give a second thought to a little witch who can't even practice magic?"

"It turns out that the little witch is being taught a different type of magic called Expression." Stefan explained.

Klaus sighed. "And what has this got to do with me or finding the cure?"

"Damon discovered that only a Bennett witch can cast the spell to retrieve the cure." Stefan told him.

"Well that's inconvenient." Klaus complained as he walked away, grabbing a cloth to wipe the paint from his hands. "And who is Damon protecting her from?"

"Some Professor guy who has been teaching her this magic." Stefan went on. "It turns out this Expression stuff he's been teaching her is really dark and powerful and it seems Bonnie might be having difficulties controlling it."

"So while they're on their romantic babysitting getaway, your job is to make sure that I'm giving Connor enough vampires to kill and that I've got the sword to decipher the mark? Is that correct?" Klaus asked. Stefan nodded grumpily.

"Sounds like you drew the short straw mate." Klaus chuckled as he patted Stefan's shoulder.

"And have you got the sword?" Stefan asked swallowing away Klaus's little insult.

"I retrieved the Hunter's sword from Italy which we'll use to decipher the map hidden in the Hunter's mark." Klaus told him.

"Have you really found the sword?" Stefan asked suspiciously.

"Why would I lie to you, Stefan?" Klaus asked as he quickly strode past Stefan and towards a vault in another room. "We're in this together." he insisted as Stefan followed him into the room to find Klaus turning the dial on the vault and opening it up.

"The hilt acts as a cipher." Klaus explained as he removed the sword from the vault. "Which we'll use to decode the marks on Connor's tattoo when he's killed enough vampires to complete it." Klaus said placing the sword down on a table for Stefan, who proceeded to pick it up and to examine it Klaus sat on the sofa and watched him intently whilst propping his feet up on the table. "You know, you could always help me by providing more vampires to complete the Hunter's Mark. I'm sure _you_ wouldn't have an issue wiping out an entire town, now would you...Ripper?" he added.

"I'm not here to bond, Klaus." Stefan said as he placed the sword back on the table.

"Oh, on the contrary, I think right now I'm the best friend you've got." Klaus smiled.

Caroline was furious. She was standing in the middle of the town square, with the Winter Wonderland charity event in full swing, complete with fake snow. And Tyler had just dropped a huge bombshell on her. He, his wolf friend Hayley and the hybrid's were planning to take Klaus down that evening. The problem was, although Caroline didn't like Klaus, she had a strange soft spot for him and he made her feel all squishy inside. Not that she'd ever admit something like that to anyone. Her other problem was Tyler. No doubt Klaus would somehow thwart them and Tyler would end up in trouble and on the run for the rest of his eternal life, which frankly wouldn't do as they hadn't graduated yet and she'd got plans for them both going to college together. However, after the initial shock had worn off, Caroline decided she wanted to know details, hoping they were going to put her mind at rest that Tyler and the hybrids were capable of pulling this off. Unfortunately as details of the plan began to emerge from Tyler's clearly diseased brain, his attempts at trying to calm her down were having the opposite effect.

"You're going to do what?!" Caroline squeaked.

"Hayley found a witch strong enough to do the body jump spell. You know, the Klaus speciality." Tyler told her.

"So, you're going to put him in someone else's body and then what?" demanded Caroline.

"We'll encase the body in concrete then bury it." Tyler explained. "That will give the hybrids enough time to escape and run far enough away from Klaus to be safe."

"Why not just desiccate him like Bonnie did?" Caroline asked.

Tyler sighed. "Because to do that spell, you have to stop a human heart. I was a little short of volunteers."

"Well, who was dumb enough to volunteer their body to be a Klaus sublet?" Caroline scoffed as Tyler sighed and his eyes fell to the floor, as it began to dawn on Caroline who volunteer was.

Tyler gulped. "Okay, don't freak out."

"Freak out! Freak out?! I'm about to hemorrhage! You volunteered?!" Caroline cried.

"It's not forever. Just long enough for the hybrids to be able to completely disappear." Tyler tried to explain. "Then the witch will put him back into his body, and I'll go somewhere far away where Klaus can't find me."

"Seriously Tyler?" Caroline yelled as she grew angrier by the minute. "Not only will you be spending the rest of our senior year buried in concrete, but you'll be running from Klaus for the rest of your life."

Tyler took Caroline by the shoulders and looked her sadly. "This started with me. This has to end with me." Tyler told her. "They're already unsired. Once Klaus finds out, he's going to come after me anyway. It won't make any difference, whatever happens, I'll still be running from him." Caroline looked to the ground, unable to meet Tyler's gaze. "Please Caroline, I need your support." he pleaded, as Caroline finally looked up at him sadly before walking away from him, unable to speak to him until she'd calmed down.

A few minutes and some deep meditation breaths later, Caroline had calmed down enough to call the only person who could trusted to make her feel calm and cheer her up in any situation, and who was supposed to be meeting her at the Grill right now.

"Hey, sorry, I know I'm late." Stefan apologized after picking up the phone.

"If I'm gonna be a friend in your time of need, then you to need to work on your punctuality." Caroline demanded. As she walked across the town square through the Winter Wonderland "I'm in a crisis. Where are you?" she demanded.

"I'm at my house. Why? What's wrong?" Stefan asked.

"My boyfriend is a dumbass martyr. Shouldn't you be searching for the sword?" Caroline asked.

"I already did, I asked Klaus and managed to get him to tell me a little bit more about it. You know that map in Connor's tattoo? The sword decodes it. It's literally the key to finding the cure." Stefan told her.

"Klaus told you this?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, why?" Stefan frowned.

"And did he happen to hand over the sword for safekeeping?" Caroline asked suspiciously.

"Uh, what do you think?" Stefan replied. "What's wrong?" Stefan asked as he heard Caroline sigh.

"We need to get our hands on that sword. Like today." Caroline explained. "Tyler and his hybrids are taking out Klaus tonight." she told him.

"Okay, you distract and I'll search." Stefan suggested. "He should be at the Grill with this Winter Wonderland thing, he's got a painting on display. Look for the giant snowflake."

Caroline sighed. "Okay then, just hurry. I'll see what I can do." with that Caroline headed to the Grill to find Klaus and put on her most winning charm.

 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon and Elena pulled up outside the Gilbert Lake House in Damon's blue Camaro, as they saw Jeremy outside of the house, chopping wood. He must have either seen or heard them pull up the driveway because he lifted his hand and waved at them as Bonnie walked over to him and handed him a bottle of water.

"Told ya." Damon wiggled his eyebrows. "Love is in the air." he grinned as he opened the trunk to retrieve their luggage

Elena sighed as she looked at the house. "Last time I was here, I was so completely in love with Stefan, or at least I thought I was. Now, it's barely a memory. Is that a vampire thing or is it just that I'm so happy to be here with you?" she asked.

"It's definitely not a vampire thing. Amnesia is not included in the deal. So it must be me." Damon smirked prompting Elena to slap him lightly on the arm as he pouted in mock pain.

"Hi Jer, hi Bonnie." Elena called out as she turned and waved at them before walking over to where her brother and her best friend were waiting for her.

"What's he doing here." Jeremy asked looking at Damon who was now stood behind Elena, their bags in his hands.

"They're here to help us protect you." Bonnie said.

"I take it you didn't tell him." Damon said in a low voice as he looked at Elena with one eyebrow raised.

"Nope, not yet." Elena smiled apologetically to Damon. "I thought we'd wait until we were all inside."

Jeremy continued to eye Elena and Damon suspiciously. "Are you two like together now?" he asked.

"Ding, ding, ding, points for House Gilbert." Damon announced. "So, now that's all out in the open and settled, can we go inside or what? I'm starting to grow roots standing out here."

"Do we have an option?" Bonnie asked.

"Nope." Damon smiled smugly. "If my brother decides to turn up and kidnap Little Gilbert here, Elena isn't strong enough to take him on yet. I on the other hand..."

"Do you promise to play nice?" Bonnie asked folding her arms.

"Of course." Damon huffed.

"I promise he won't hurt anyone Jer." Elena reassured her brother. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I trust you." Jeremy smiled.

"Well then you've got nothing to worry about." Damon grinned as the four of them began to make their way to porch.

"Let's get inside where it's warm." Bonnie said, however as they got there the front door it opened and Professor Shane stood there in front of them smiling.

"What the hell is Professor Shady-pants doing here?" Damon exclaimed angrily.

"Jeremy said it was fine, so I invited him." Bonnie said as Damon looked over at her and rolled his eyes as she and Jeremy walked inside to join the Professor.

"Great!" muttered Damon under his breath. "That's all we need."

"It's only so that he can help me with the protection spell. After what happened the other night I want to make sure I can control what I'm doing." Bonnie growled back at Damon, insinuating she'd heard every word he'd said.

"This is your house now, Jer." Elena smiled trying to break the tension in the air. "You have to invite me in." Elena

Jeremy sighed. "You can come in." he said. "Both of you."

Elena walked into the house, closely followed by Damon who was still sending murderous looks in the general direction of the Professor. Once inside, Elena stopped in front of Jeremy, setting her purse on the counter and giving him a great big hug, before they moved their bags to Elena's room to unpack.

Inside the Grill, Caroline was stood admiring the postmodern snowflake which Stefan had told her Klaus had painted. As much as she disliked Klaus, she loved his art and this painting was no exception. However, Caroline and an ulterior motive for admiring the work of the hideously evil man who had an unfortunate habit of her insides turn to jello, she wanted to get his attention so she could distract him long enough for Stefan to search for the Hunter's sword. Caroline had only been looking at the painting for a few moments before she realized she was being watched. Suspecting she knew who her admirer slash stalker was, Caroline turned around and as she expected, she saw Klaus's face looking at her. He smiled at her as she turned to face him.

"Here to steal Tiny Tim's crutches?" Caroline asked sarcastically.

"Dickens was a dark man. You would have liked him." Klaus smiled as he walked around the table towards her. Caroline on the other hand wanted to keep herself as far away from Klaus as she could, so she made her way to the other side of the table.

"Nice snowflake, by the way." Caroline observed.

Klaus sighed. "Is my work really that literal?"

"I'm serious. There's something...lonely about it." Caroline smiled sadly.

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment. Can I offer you some champagne?" Klaus asked Caroline turned and began to walk towards another display on a nearby table, as Klaus followed her.

"Can't. Too many adult prying eyes." Caroline whispered as she turned around to face him, noticing he had managed to closed the gap between them. "Don't want to be a high school cautionary tale at the next town meeting." she joked.

"Well, then it's a good thing the high school part is nearly over." Klaus agreed as they stared at each other tenderly for a brief moment.

"If we're going to be nice to each other, then I will need that glass of champagne." Caroline announced awkwardly as Klaus smiles and edged even closer towards her.

"Is that our thing?" he asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes."We don't have a "thing."" she scoffed

"Allow me." Klaus smiled as he walked away to get them both a glass of champagne. Caroline waited for a moment as she watched him walk away, making sure he couldn't see her take out her phone before sending a text to Stefan to give him the all clear to search for the sword at the Mikaelson Mansion.

Stefan began searching Klaus's mansion immediately after he received Caroline's text to give him the all clear. His first destination was the vault where Klaus had put it earlier in the day as he'd brought the sword out to show Stefan. He ripped off the handle, placed it on the floor and opened up the vault, however it was empty and the sword was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, Stefan called Damon who was babysitting the 'Keys to the Cure' at the Gilbert Lake House, whilst he risked his life breaking and entering into Klaus's home.

"Yes Stefan?" Damon answered the phone after the third ring.

"It can't find the sword." Stefan told him.

"Well, he's not walking around with it. Check the rest of the house." Damon suggested.

"I am. I haven't found anything." Stefan said, his voice full of frustration as he started searching through the art studio.

"Try the sock drawer. People leave the sketchiest stuff in sock drawers." Damon offered.

"I'm gonna need real ideas, Damon." Stefan complained.

"Here's two." Damon suggested. "Kill Tyler before he goes to Klaus or, since Klaus has suddenly become MVP in our relay race for the cure, tell him about the hybrids and he'll kill Tyler."

"Nobody is killing Tyler." Stefan groaned as he made his way up to what could only be Klaus's bedroom.

"Well I suggest you come up with another option for Klausageddon, because Blondie without Tyler is going to become everyone's worst nightmare." Damon told him.

Stefan sighed. "Tell me about it."

"Speaking of Klaus." Damon went on. "Did he say anything about how fast the mark was growing?" he asked.

"Apparently Connor told him he's already killed at least a hundred vampires, but the picture Jeremy drew suggested it was only half finished. So he's now sending his hybrids around the nearby towns and cities to hand over vampires for Connor to kill." Stefan told him.

"Do you think Tyler can postpone?" Damon asked. "A pack of hybrids collecting vampires is going to be a lot quicker than me and you brother."

"Ugh, I'll see if I can try and get Tyler to hold off a little longer." Stefan agreed.

"Anything else Stefan?" Damon asked.

"I told Klaus Elena was sired to you." Stefan admitted.

"You told him what?!" Damon practically screamed down the other end of the phone.

"I told him Elena was sired to you." Stefan repeated. "Look, he had to believe that you and I were looking for the cure. And although _I_ know you are, I don't think Klaus would be as ready to believe you as you possibly have the most to lose from Elena becoming human again. He doesn't know you like I do. So don't worry about it." he added.

"Whatever!" Damon said angrily, hanging up.

Stefan sighed as he hung up, frustrated with his brother's lack of help. Instead he turned to the only the person he could think to trust, Caroline. He asked her to meet him outside the alley next to the Grill in ten minutes. He immediately received at text back threatening him to be there in exactly ten minutes or else, causing Stefan to smile, Caroline really could be a control freak when she wanted.

Stefan was leaning against the wall in the alleyway outside the Grill when he saw Caroline quickly approaching him, her sudden appearance prompting him to stand up to greet her.

"Hey." Caroline said when she saw Stefan approach.

"Hey." Stefan replied.

"Did you find the sword?" Caroline asked.

"Nope." Stefan shrugged.

"What are we gonna do now?" Caroline asked rolling her eyes.

"Klaus is the only shot we have at finding the cure." Stefan told her. "We need him. Tyler has to call it off."

"Well, that's not gonna happen." Tyler said suddenly appearing on the stairway as Stefan and Caroline turned to look up at him. "You told him?" he asked looking at Caroline angrily as he walked down the remaining steps towards where the two vampires were stood. "I've had twelve hybrids sworn to secrecy for a month. I have Hayley and a witch risking their lives and you're blabbing my plan to _him_?" Tyler frowned.

Stefan walked over towards Tyler. "Look, all I'm asking you for is a little bit of time, okay?" Stefan asked gently. "Wait, did you say _twelve_ hybrids?" he eyed Tyler suspiciously, wondering if it was just a coincidence that the number twelve was again involved, but he put it to the back of his mind. This time it was twelve attacking one.

"Yeah twelve, why? You're not looking to tell Klaus are you?" Stefan shook his head. "Because every minute that goes by that we don't do this, they're at risk. You and Klaus already served one of them up for Connor to kill. How long do you need? An hour? A day? Because we don't have time to wait." Tyler told them.

Tyler looked over Stefan's shoulder at Caroline, who cast her eyes down, before turning back to Stefan. "I don't owe you anything." Tyler spat as he turned around to walk away. "I'm taking him out." he said.

Stefan vamp-sped front of Tyler, and staring him intently in the face in an attempt to try and intimidate him."I'm sorry, but I can't let you do that." Stefan menacingly.

"Stefan." Caroline said as she looked over Stefan's shoulder.

Stefan turned to look back to Caroline. "I'm sorry but I can't." he said.

"Stefan!" Caroline said again, only this time with a great deal more urgency in her voice, prompting Stefan to turn around. When he did he saw at least half dozen of the hybrids standing on the stairs behind him. Caroline turned around and saw the remaining hybrids in the alleyway, blocking any means of escape. They were trapped.

"Sorry man, but you don't have a choice." Tyler apologized as the hybrids escorted Stefan and Caroline away from the alley.

Elena stood on the jetty staring out at the lake, wrapped in a chequered woolen blanket, as the sun lay low in the horizon indicating late afternoon was approaching. The lake looked peaceful and she'd loved watching it as the sun was beginning to set, even as a child. Today however, the sky was fairly cloudy and a little dull, a typical late chilly December afternoon. Hearing footsteps approaching her from behind, Elena waited for their owner to join her.

"Bonnie told me about you and Damon." Professor Shane said after standing beside her for a moment. "It sounds like the problem is that his brother can't let go."

"Have you ever found a cure to stop someone from being in love with you without it hurting them?" Elena asked, however it was more of a wishful thought. Neither she nor Damon had wanted to hurt Stefan, but the guilt was eating her up inside. The longer they left it without telling him, even if they did have his own interests at heart, the worse it was beginning to make her feel.

"You know, in all my world travels, the one spell that I've never found is how to break somebody from loving too much. Trust me, I've looked." Professor Shane said sadly.

Elena looked at him, in confusion, which the Professor took as a signal to explain a little further. "My wife and son died. I was just...I was trying to figure out a way not to miss them." he told her.

Elena began to wonder if Damon had gotten the Professor all wrong. He was a young man which meant his wife and child must have also been young when they died. She wondered how he'd managed to go on surviving whilst being weighed down by so much grief. Her thoughts of compassion for the Professor however, suddenly disappeared when she heard what she recognized to be Damon's footsteps from behind. As Elena turned around she saw Damon stop and stand a few feet away, holding an axe in front of him with both hands.

"So now, tell me why I'm not killing you?" Damon asked menacingly glaring at Professor Shane.

"Damon." Elena glared at Damon as she took a step towards him.

"I'm serious. Why are you after the vampire cure?" Damon turned towards Professor Shane, attempting to ignore Elena's angry stares.

The Professor moved towards Damon, never taking his eyes off him."I didn't say I _was_ looking for the cure, but I can tell you where to find it." Professor Shane smiled smugly.

Damon edged even closer. "Klaus' sword will tell us where to find it." Damon pointed out.

"The sword will lead you there, sure, but so can I." Professor Shane told them.

"What? How?" Elena asked, confused.

"'Cause I've already been there." Professor Shane said as he continued to look at Damon, who turned to Elena as they looked at each other in shock. "C'mon inside, I'll show you." he said walking back to the cabin as Damon and Elena followed him.

Once inside the three of them gathered in the living area, Elena sat across from Shane, Damon stood next to the couch Elena was sat on, whilst Jeremy and Bonnie had been ushered outside to collect firewood. The professor took a large heavy looking object, wrapped in cloth from his bag which was next to the couch he was sat on. Professor Shane unwrapped the cloth revealing a rock with red marks one it, causing Damon and Elena to look confused.

"It's a rock." Damon said, voicing the opinion of both him and Elena.

"It's not just any rock." Professor Shane smiled.

"Hmm, so is this that silly little wives tale that you told at the occult exhibit which Jeremy told me about?" Damon asked, remembering the name Silas. He'd suspected that something was fishy about the Professor wanting the cure and that it might be related to this 'Silas' guy. It was turning out that his suspicions were correct. Feeling smug Damon walked over to the bar behind the couch and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.

"Right, long story short." Professor Shane explained. "Once upon a time, there was a witch named Silas who loved a girl, who wanted to be with her forever, so he and his best friend, another witch, made an immortality spell and then Silas' best friend witch got jealous and killed Silas' girl before he had a chance to make her immortal. Well, cursed to an eternity without his one true love, Silas finds a way to reverse the immortality spell and then before he has the chance to take it, his former friend buries him underground, leaving him and the cure to rot."

"So, it's a cure for immortality?" Elena asked.

"Human blood is the life force of an immortal. No more immortality, no more need to feed on blood. You dig up Silas and you've got your cure." Professor Shane smiled at them. Elena and Damon continued to look at Professor Shane skeptically. Realizing they needed more convincing, so he brought out his other secret weapon, a picture of what appeared to be a section of The Hunter's mark, which he placed upon the table.

"This is the mark of the Brotherhood of the Five." Professor Shane told them. "The symbols in the vines are your map, which obviously, you no longer need. When this mark is complete, it will contain the spell that we need to dig up Silas and the cure." he explained.

"And where did you say he was buried? Oh, I forgot, you didn't." Damon said sarcastically.

"You've threatened to kill me, what, like three times already this week." Professor Shane asked.

"Yeah." Damon nodded in agreement.

"The location is how I'm gonna survive your bad moods." Professor Shane told him smugly.

"And what's in it for you? If not the cure, then what?" Elena asked curiously.

"I'm in this for Silas, all right? Up until this point he's only been myth." Professor Shane explained enthusiastically, moving to the edge of his seat.

"So write a thesis." Damon exclaimed.

"Would you rather be the guy who writes about Noah's Ark or the one who sails it down the Hudson River?" Professor Shane asked as he raised an eyebrow and looked between Damon and Elena who both stayed silent. Believing he'd made his point, he stood up and started folding the paper containing the picture the Hunter's mark drawing. However Damon stopped him by holding his hand out for the Professor to pass him drawing, who grudgingly obliged and placed it into Damon's open hand.

"I'm not buying it." Damon scowled.

"You don't have to buy anything." Professor Shane said looking down at Elena, seeing her as the reasonable half of the couple and being the better one to convince. "You just have to believe that when Connor's Hunter's mark is complete, I can take you to the cure." Professor Shane said as he walked out of the room.

Caroline was furious with Tyler. Not only was he trying to trade his life of school and college in exchange for becoming a useless block of cement, he now had the audacity to authorize his hybrids to kidnap her and Stefan, who were only trying to help save the fate of his girlfriend and her best friend from Stefan's evil narcissistic brother. Caroline's couldn't for the life of her understand why this group of people she hardly knew would be anymore important to Tyler than that.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous. We are not hostages!" Caroline demanded.

"Sure you are, sweetie." Kimberley smiled sarcastically at Caroline who glared back at her before she vamp-sped over to stand right in front of her. As Caroline and Kim continued to stare each other down, Stefan's phone interrupted them as it started to ring, prompting the other hybrids started to advance on him.

"Relax." Stefan reassured them as they all stop in their tracks. "It's my brother." he told them as he answered the phone. "What's up?" Stefan asked.

"Don't ask how or why or who, but I just found the answer to your Tyler problem." Damon told him on the other end of the line. "Bonnie invited Professor Shady-pants, who it turns out, already knows the exact location of the cure. He only needs the hunters mark for the spell for Sabrina to cast to access it. So we don't need the sword. Let the hybrids take out Klaus, although it will mean that _we_ will have to find the vampires for Connor instead."

"You're kidding." Stefan asked stunned.

"Nope. Just thought I'd let you know before you got into any hybrid trouble." Damon offered hanging up, as did Stefan before looking at Caroline.

"We don't need the sword." Stefan told Caroline, prompting her to raise her eyebrows at this revealing information. Stefan looked around at the hybrid's hoping that they might let them go as his eyes landed on an ebony coffin in the corner of the cellar. "The sword might not be the only thing we don't need." he said smiling.

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked.

"Tyler." Stefan explained turning to the hybrid's. "Why use Tyler for the spell when you've already got a daggered Original just ready and waiting." he grinned causing Caroline to frown with confusion. "Rebekah." Stefan clarified as he nodded towards the coffin, Caroline turning her head to follow his gaze.

"You genius." she screamed practically jumping into his arms. "Is everybody else on board with this idea?" she asked turning to the hybrid's.

"No problem." Kimberley spoke on behalf of the group. "Go tell him. We need to stay here for Klaus."

Caroline arrived at the Grill a few minutes later to track down Tyler. Spotting him near the pool table with his wolf friend Hayley, Caroline walked over to where he was stood and dragged him with her into the bathroom as Hayley followed.

"What are you doing here Caroline?" Tyler asked as Caroline turned around and looked at them intently.

"I'm here to talk you out of your stupid Alpha hybrid murder plan." Caroline shrugged.

"I'm not going to fight with you anymore, Caroline." Tyler insisted.

"Oh, we're going to do plenty of fighting, the second that you shove Klaus into someone else's body." Caroline growled.

"We've been through this; I don't _have_ anyone else's body." Tyler explained.

"Yeah, well I do." Caroline smiled smugly.

"What? Who?" Hayley asked confused.

"Klaus' sister, Rebekah." Caroline announced proudly as both Tyler and Hayley looked at her curiously.

"She's got a dagger in her. Stefan's been hiding her coffin in the tunnels. We dump Klaus into her body, bury her, we just killed two Original birds with one stone." Caroline grinned as a huge smile erupted on Tyler's face as continued to stare at Caroline, recognizing how her brilliant idea was.

However, Hayley didn't seem quite as impressed with the idea. "It's too late to change the plan." she argued as Tyler and Caroline looked at her for a moment before Tyler turned back to face Caroline.

"Call Bonnie." he asked excitedly. "Make sure it will work." Tyler insisted.

"Tyler!" Hayley glared at him as he turned around and looks at Hayley once again.

"It's a brilliant plan, Hayley." Tyler cried excitedly as a grin erupted on his face and looked back at Caroline. "You're a genius. I love you." he said as he grabbed Caroline's face in his hands and kissed her, causing Caroline to giggle as she kissed him back.

"I love you. Even when I hate you." Caroline pouted.

"I gotta go find my mom. Let her know I might actually graduate." Tyler told them excitedly as he left the two girls alone together in the bathroom.

Taking her phone out, Caroline began to call Bonnie to check that Rebekah would be an option to replace Tyler.

"Caroline, hey." Caroline heard Bonnie say as she answered the phone.

"Bonnie, I need you to think fast. I know that the daggers don't work on Klaus but what if we put his essence into Rebekah? It'll work, right? Say it'll work!" Caroline pleaded.

"Slow down, slow down, what...what's happening?" Bonnie asked.

"Just, come on, Bonnie. Will it work?" Caroline begged.

"Yeah, I don't see why not." Bonnie answered honestly.

"Uh, Bonnie Bennett, I love you!" Caroline mimicked a kissing sound.

"Do you need my help? I can leave Jeremy here with Damon and Elena." Bonnie offered.

"They're both there? Stefan didn't say anything about them both being there, I thought it was just Damon." Caroline sounded confused.

"Yeah, Elena came with Damon. Who's being slightly less horrible than usual." Bonnie told her causing Caroline to suddenly feel angry with Elena and Damon's disrespectful behavior towards Stefan.

"You know what? I can't deal with this right now." Caroline cried in frustration before hanging up on her friend and taking a deep breath and turning to Hayley who was stood in front of the door.

"She said it would work." Caroline smiled.

"I gathered. Congratulations." Hayley said dryly.

"Thank you." Caroline replied smiling, as she walked towards the door. Hayley stepped aside to let her through but as Caroline tried to open the door, Hayley grabbed her from behind and snapped her neck, causing Caroline to fall to the floor, temporarily dead.

"My pleasure." Hayley smiled as she walk out of the bathroom door.

Being Miss Mystic Falls had some definite perks to it, running around for Carol Lockwood at the Winter Wonderland Festival was not one of them. She wanted to enjoy the festival, but instead she felt like unpaid labor with a fake smile plastered across her face. All she knew was that right now she needed a five minute break away from Mayor Lockwood and to rest her sore, aching feet. Her destination of choice, the Mystic Grill restroom, however, once inside she realized one of the stall doors was unlocked and jammed from the inside.

"Oh, sorry." April apologized as she went to move onto another stall. She'd initially assumed the lock was broken and the occupant was using a hand or foot to keep it closed, however she was met with no response. Suspecting something was wrong April tapped the door of the stall gently.

"Oh, hello, are you okay? Um..." April asked. However there was still no response and April realized that whoever was inside was in deep trouble. April opened the door of the stall and Caroline's Forbes' unconscious body fell to the ground.

"Oh my gosh!" April began to panic as she knelt down next to Caroline and shook her by the shoulders.

"Caroline!" April cried, but there was no response. Beginning to get extremely worried about her friend, she placed her fingers on her neck, trying to find a pulse, but there wasn't one. April realized Caroline was dead.

"Somebody help! Help!" April began to cry as she started to panic. Believing that nobody would hear her from the restroom, quickly got up and was about to leave to get help when she heard a gasping noise behind her coming from Caroline, April turned her head to look, but before she could blink Caroline was stood in front of the door preventing April from leaving.

"Holy crap!" April screamed.

"Have you seen Hayley?" Caroline asked, her hair and make-up still perfectly in place and none too perturbed by the fact that only a second ago she'd seemingly been dead.

April turned to and look where Caroline's previously dead body used to be, confused. Even stranger was Caroline, who was acting very nonchalant about the whole thing, is if nothing had happened and was currently more concerned with calling someone.

"You didn't have a pulse. You were dead." April cried as Caroline quickly glanced at her but instead of trying to reassure April about her earlier lack of pulse, Caroline was more concerned with making a call.

"Stefan, it's me." Caroline barked. "That little werewolf slut Hayley has lost her mind. Go to the Lockwood Cellar and make sure that Rebekah's body is still there. I'm gonna find Tyler."

The mention of Rebekah's body made April's eyes grow wide. Was Rebekah dead too? She'd liked Rebekah, she was going to look into what happened with her dad, or so she'd said. She began to be scared that her friend might have found something sinister and it had gotten her killed. Caroline had hung up her call and turned to April and looked at her with a smile, before she walked over to her and gently took hold of her shoulders. April just looked back at her, completely terrified at what she'd just seen and heard. Then Caroline started to do something even more strange.

"Forget everything you just saw and heard. You are Miss Mystic Falls and you have duties to fulfill." Caroline told her, which confused April, how was she supposed to forget what she saw, but she was too scared to argue and just wanted to get away from Caroline, so she decided to play along with whatever Caroline was doing.

"Okay." April replied, which seemed to placate Caroline, so April quickly walked out of the restroom, deciding not looking at Caroline as she left. She wanted to see for herself if her friend Rebekah was okay, and set off in the direction of the Old Lockwood Cellar

As Caroline watched April leave the restroom she breathed a sigh of relief, April had been unsurprisingly terrified, but she'd be fine now. Compulsion done, no harm no foul Caroline thought as she walked out of the restroom, however Matt intercepted her.

"There you are. Stefan's been looking for you. Adrian's leading Klaus to the Cellar." Matt told her.

"How come the only time April Young isn't following you around like a lost puppy is when I'm lying dead with a broken neck?" Caroline complained as she pulled her phone out and checked for any missed calls and messages.

"April saw you? Matt asked breaking Caroline's concentration.

"Yeah, it's okay, I compelled her." Caroline told him smiling.

"No, she's – she's wearing Jeremy's vervain bracelet." Matt panicked as Caroline looked up at him, horrified. "She can't be compelled. I'll go look for her." he said as he hurried off to search for April.

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

** Warning: graphic depictions of violence and smut. **

Hayley sat waiting nervously on the bench in the middle of the town square. She didn't like what she was about to do, but she was desperate to find out everything she could about her birth parents, and Shane had promised her that he could help. Although it had turned out her birth parents were dead, he said he could help bring them back for her, but to do that Shane said he needed to perform a spell and for that he needed her help. The spell involved required a witch and the sacrifice of twelve true monsters, the hybrids. Shane would provide the witch and it was up to Hayley to deliver the hybrids. However, them being sired to Klaus was a problem, they would never betray him, meaning he would never destroy them without good reason. Instead they needed a push in the right direction to betray Klaus. They needed to answer to a new Alpha, another hybrid, one she could manipulate, and Tyler had been the perfect candidate. A natural born leader, but at the same time completely gullible. The plan she'd told Tyler was to set them free, and like the good Alpha that he was, he'd felt obligated to do so. So as far as Tyler was concerned, this was why she'd spent all summer with him helping the hybrids break the sire bond.

Of course the real reason was far more sinister, but Tyler didn't need to know that just yet. The spell required twelve hybrids to be sacrificed. She had thirteen including Tyler, but she'd become close to him, she couldn't do that to her friend and offer him up for sacrifice. Instead, she was going to give him the heads up to get out of town at the last minute. In the meantime, someone was needed to commit the sacrifice, someone who would have no issue in killing twelve people, innocent or not and was capable of taking on twelve hybrids. Her choice had been simple, Klaus. Break the sire bond, tell him what the hybrids had done, then round them up and lead them to the right spot, just like lambs to the slaughter, and Klaus would do what needed to be done. All she had to do now was tell Klaus what the hybrids had done, which was why she was sitting on the bench in the middle of the town square, waiting for him.

The idea of encasing Tyler in cement had been hers. She wanted to keep him away and for it to appear that he had nothing to do with the plot to end Klaus. However his scatter-brained bimbo of a girlfriend had gotten herself all worked up into a tizzy and had managed to find a viable alternative to her suggested plan. Hayley knew that for her plan to work and to keep Tyler safe, she needed to delay him. To ensure her plan worked, a few minutes earlier she'd texted him to tell him the witch had been delayed and had moved the meeting later by another half an hour. That way Tyler would be by her side, waiting for a witch that would never come whilst Klaus sacrificed the other hybrids.

"Thank you for your message." Hayley heard a voice from behind, breaking her from her thoughts and making her jump, the British accent gave away the identity of the speaker. "I'm just interested to know how you got my number?" he asked as he walked around the bench to face her.

"I got it from your hybrid, Adrian, I stole his phone." she snapped. "I think there's something you need to know." she whispered, standing up and looking around to check if there were any other vampires in sight, but she couldn't see one.

"Go on love. I don't have all day to chit chat." Klaus smiled as the made their way into the crowds.

"It's about your hybrids." Hayley told him. "Last night I found out Tyler helped them break the sire bond. They're meeting out in the woods tonight to take you down."

"Including Tyler?" Klaus asked.

"He was only involved in breaking the sire bond. They asked him to be their Alpha once the bond was broken, but they lied and the girl Kim is the real Alpha." Hayley lied. "It was her idea to take you down."

"And how do they plan on doing that?" Klaus asked as they stopped walking and stood there facing each other.

"I think they've got a witch involved, I don't know the rest of the details." she explained.

"And why are you telling me this?" Klaus asked. "It's not as if we're best friends and somehow I doubt it's out of the goodness of your heart."

"You're right, I'm not telling you because I like you. You're an ass." Hayley sneered. "Look, Tyler is my friend, and I don't want him to get hurt, and Kim is dangerous, I don't trust her."

"Okay." Klaus said, deciding to let the matter drop. "Let's just say for a moment that I am interested in what you have to say, when and where exactly is this meeting supposed to take place?

"At eight, the clearing in the woods next to the old Lockwood Cellar." Hayley told him.

Klaus inched closer, his face menacingly close to hers. "You'd better be telling me the truth little wolf." he whispered. "You don't want to get on my bad side?"

"Oh? I didn't know you had a good one. Unless you mean the one you save for Tyler's ex." she replied sarcastically.

Klaus spotted Stefan across the square. "Thank you for your help love. Much appreciated. Well please excuse me, I have matters to attend to." he said as he was about to walk off.

"Fuck you!" Hayley snapped staring him in the eye, their face merely inches apart, causing Klaus to chuckle at her audacity.

"If that's an offer, I'd be happy to oblige." he whispered back and began laughing as he turned his back to her and began walking over to where Stefan was stood.

"She doesn't like me much." Klaus told Stefan. "Where have you been all day?" he asked, the smile on his face dying.

"I've been around." Stefan said, not venturing to explain any further.

"I'm not interested in vagary, Stefan. You've been dodgy and Caroline's been lovely, which I've come to recognize as a tool of distraction, now, do you have something to share with me or should I compel it out of you?" Klaus threatened.

"I broke into your safe to look for the sword." Stefan casually confessed.

"Why?" Klaus asked.

"Because I don't trust you." Stefan admitted.

"I showed you the sword. I explained its value. I've been on your side the entire time. What do you want from me? A secret brotherhood handshake?" Klaus asked sarcastically.

Suddenly, Klaus's face fell as he spotted something over Stefan's shoulder prompting him to walk away.

"Remember Stefan, you and I want the same thing. A desire to combat the one true enemy of immortality." Klaus's voice rang out from behind prompting Stefan to turn around and watch him leave.

"And what's that Klaus?" Stefan asked with interest as Klaus stopped and turned back to face him.

"Loneliness Stefan." Klaus said sadly as he turned around once more and walked away with his hybrid Adrian.

After Klaus had left her to talk to Stefan, Hayley had stood watching them talk in the background for a while until she saw Klaus leave with Adrian. Knowing this was her cue, Hayley checked the time on her phone and seeing it was almost eight, she decided that now was the time to find Tyler and tell him what was really happening. After only a minute of searching the square, she spotted him on his phone and walked over to him.

"Hey mom, I don't see you. Things have changed, it's gonna be fine." Hayley heard Tyler reassure his mom as he spotted Hayley walking over to meet him through the crowd. "I'll be back later. I'll pick you up." he finished, hanging up before walking up to Hayley.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be taking the witch to the Cellar." Tyler asked.

"There is no witch, Tyler." Hayley told him.

"What?" Tyler asked, confused.

"I made it up." Hayley admitted. "I never intended for you to put Klaus down. I needed him for the sacrifice."

"The what?" Tyler said perplexed by what Hayley was telling him.

"I don't know how to explain it, but I made a deal with someone who can help me find my family." Hayley explained.

"What are you talking about? What kind of deal?" Tyler began to panic.

"There needed to be twelve for the sacrifice, Tyler." Hayley said dryly.

"Twelve what?" Tyler demanded she answer.

"I'm sorry." Hayley apologized unapologetically.

"Hayley, what did you do?" Tyler's voice was becoming more urgent.

Hayley sighed. "If you run now, you might make it out alive." she said as Tyler looked at her with a mixture of horror and shock, it had been a set up, she was organizing for his pack to be slaughtered, Tyler began to back away from her before he turned around and dashed through the crowd to try and find the hybrids before Klaus got to them.

Klaus arrived in the woods, walking behind Adrian. After his meeting with Hayley and his chat with Stefan, he'd traveled back to the mansion and took the sword from it's new hiding place in his bedroom safe. When Adrian had questioned what Klaus was doing and began realizing something was amiss, Klaus had taken his phone from him, crushing it before informing him that he wished to attend the meeting Adrian and the hybrids were holding in the woods near the old Lockwood cellar. As angry as Klaus was with the betrayal of his hybrids, he was satisfied to see the fear in Adrian's eyes, confirming everything the wolf girl had told him. He needed to remember he owed her a favor.

Walking through the woods with his hybrid, Klaus overheard a voice coming from the clearing.

"Where the hell is the witch?" Klaus heard the woman say who he recognized to be that from the hybrid Kimberley. "Adrian should be here any minute."

Deciding that he should grant Kimberley her wish, Klaus vamp-sped Adrian over to the clearing, towards the rest of the pack. He placed the Adrian in front of him, so that the rest were not aware of his own presence. He wanted it to be an unpleasant surprise. The fear exuding from Adrian was palpable. Klaus could smell piss running down the hybrid's leg staining the air, Klaus however didn't care. His hybrid's had betrayed him, and for that, they would be punished.

"Kim." Adrian gulped trembling, his voice thick with fear. Klaus punched his fist inside of Adrian's chest, the hybrid made a choking noise and his body froze as Klaus grabbed hold of his heart and tore it from his body, leaving him to drop to the floor.

"No!" Kimberley screamed, her eyes ablaze with fear. Normally this would have given Klaus great satisfaction, he reveled in having people terrified of him, however now was not the time nor the place, to enjoy such power. He had work to do and killing people when they'd either betrayed him or were disloyal to him, was in his job description.

Klaus stood behind the fallen hybrid holding out the bloody heart in his hand and the Hunter's sword in the other, before dropping the heart to the ground. Looking round he noticed Tyler Lockwood was missing, but no mind, he'd find him soon enough. However, seeing his army, his comrades in front of him, and knowing their intentions after what he'd done for them, caused him feel a betrayal so powerful it sent a surge of pure rage through his body.

Taking the sword into both hands, he rushed at the the hybrids, hitting the girl Kim with the flat of the blade as she dropped to the floor. He didn't want to kill her just yet, after Tyler she was the pack leader, he needed to question her to find Tyler's whereabouts. Kim scuttled away as Klaus began to put an end to their little shenanigans. One hybrid tried to attack him as he flicked the sword around and slashed at his throat, the hybrid's head decapitated in one swoop. Another jumped through the air to attack him, a woman this time, swinging the sword with one hand, he sliced her head clean from her body as blood spurted out all over his face.

The hybrids came at him, one after another, but they each stood little chance. He was older, faster and a much more experienced fighter, who was also armed. One by one, he removed their heads with his sword. Accepting defeat, the last one tried to make a run for it, but again Klaus was faster. He threw the sword, hitting the hybrid squarely in the chest, pinning him to a tree. Klaus walked over to the hybrid and punched his fist into the hybrid's sternum and ripped the heart from his chest.

Klaus looked around him, counting a total of eleven dead hybrids, meaning only the girl Kimberley was left. He took a deep breath, his shirt was no longer a crisp white, instead it had taken on a more crimson hue from the blood of his dead former servants. He removed the sword from the chest of the hybrid pinned to the tree, all the while listening carefully for any noise to help him locate the twelfth traitor. Finally he heard the sound of a woman crying coming from the edge of the Lockwood Cellar. As he made his way towards the entrance, he saw her disappear down the stairs and into one of the underground chambers. Klaus slowly proceeded to follow her, knowing the girl no longer had anywhere left to hide. She tripped down the remaining stairs into the chamber in her pointless endeavor to escape as she looked up from the floor to see her sire making his way down the steps towards her, bloody sword in hand. The girl made an attempt to back away from him, before turning to run, only to be thwarted by the bars of the cellar. She continued to sob as she tried to find a way out although her attempts were futile.

"Where is Tyler Lockwood?" Klaus whispered menacingly as he slowly moved towards her. The girl turned and pressed her back flat to the bars as she continued to sob with terror, however she refused to give him an answer. Klaus held out the sword and pointed it at her throat as he moved closer towards her. "You'd do well to answer me, love." he demanded. But again the female hybrid said nothing, instead she just kept on sobbing. Klaus bore down on her until they were just inches apart, the blood of her pack dripping from his chin.

"WHERE IS HE?!" he screamed at the top of his voice instilling even more fear into the trembling Kim as he placed the edge of the blade against her throat.

"I don't know." Kimberley finally whimpered.

"Wrong answer." Klaus simply said as he pushed the blade until it slowly began to slice through her throat before giving a quick and decisive push, removing her head which fell to the floor with a thud.

Knowing he'd done all he could here, Klaus wandered off to look for the other traitor, Tyler Lockwood.

Carol Lockwood decided to wait by the fountain for Tyler, he was supposed to be picking her from the Winter Wonderland Festival so that she could enjoy herself and have a drink. The festival had been a roaring success and she was feeling pretty pleased with herself, although she was also feeling a little bit drunk. Looking at her watch she saw that Tyler was late so she decided to call him, however the call went straight through to voicemail.

"Tyler, honey, you're supposed to be my sober cab. I think I drank half the party." Carol laughed as she left her message before hanging up her phone and sitting down on the edge of the stone fountain to give her feet a rest.

Carol put her champagne glass down next to her and removed her shawl as she noticed Klaus approach her, his clothes and face were spattered with blood and he was clutching a bottle of champagne in one of his hands. Even though Carol had known what he was, and knew of his reputation, she'd never had just cause to fear him before. He'd always appeared the perfect gentleman, civil with perfect manners, a pillar of the community. He'd also taken care of Tyler and she was grateful to him for that. But as he approached, there was a glint of madness in his eye, and for the first time since Carol had met him, he terrified her.

"Good evening, Carol. You're looking for Tyler. I'd like to have a word with him myself." Klaus smirked, his voice sending chills down Carol's spine. Tyler had told her the hybrid's were breaking the sire thing and were going to escape Klaus. This had been why Tyler had been prepared to be buried in cement, but he'd told her there had been a change of plan, and whatever it was, it must have gone wrong, because a clearly angered Klaus, was stood in front of her and she suspected the blood covering him was related to him enacting his revenge.

"Klaus, please, don't hurt him. He's my son. He's all I have." Carol begged, her heart thumping loudly in her ear as she realized Tyler was in grave danger.

"And you're all he has. There's a beautiful symmetry to that, don't you think?" Klaus said softly as he grabbed Carol by the back of the neck, causing her to scream. But Klaus just ignored her, instead he dunked her head into the water surrounding the fountain. Carol struggled, trying to fight Klaus off, but to no avail, she was just a mere human and he was an invincible, immortal hybrid. Carol never stood a chance as Klaus continued to hold her head under the water. Eventually Carol ran out of time, trying to take her last breath, but the fight was done. There was nothing left in her as the last signs of life left her eyes and her body went slack, signaling the onset of death. Knowing his work was finished, Klaus took his hand away from Carol's neck and walked away, leaving her body floating in the fountain surrounded by fake snow in the air and Christmas music playing in the background.

As Tyler approached the clearing near the Old Lockwood Cellar he knew he was too late. Bodies lay everywhere, mostly decapitated and two that he could count had had their hearts pulled from their chests. If he'd have still been human, he would have expected bile to rise up in his throat, although the sight still made him feel metaphorically sick. These people were his friends, his pack, and he'd just, without knowing it, set them all up to die, he hated Hayley with as much passion as was possible, maybe even more than Klaus himself in that moment. He noticed there were only eleven bodies, he couldn't see Kim's, maybe she'd made it out alive, but he doubted it. He made his way down the cellar steps to see if she were inside and to his dismay he saw her severed head and body both laying on the ground, a few inches apart. He noticed the coffin out of the corner of his eye, the one that he knew contained Rebekah, but that had just been a ruse. Disgusted and devastated, Tyler left to go and collect his mother from the party so he could go home, grieve for his friends and decide what to do about getting away from Klaus.

Stefan was back at the boarding house sat on the leather couch in the library staring into the fire in a world of his own. He wondered if he'd done the right thing letting Klaus kill the hybrids. They'd wanted to take Klaus down but Stefan had suspected it was a set up. Damon had been convinced all along that Hayley had been working with Professor Shane, and it turned out he could be right and she might just have organized another massacre on his behalf. It was either that or they'd managed to take Klaus down, but Stefan didn't want to air his real suspicions yet. He was still lost in thought as he heard Caroline walked into the room to join him.

"Matt can't find April. I can't reach Tyler. This is a disaster." Caroline said in a panicked voice as she flopped down on the chair across from Stefan and looked at him although he remained silent. "Is this you in crisis mode? Cause it's a lot more subtle than mine." Caroline asked.

"You know I thought I'd be happier watching Klaus get led away to his slaughter, but for some reason I can't help but feel kind of guilty." Stefan said sadly.

"Yeah, you and me both. All day I've been trying to remind myself of all the horrible things he's done. Caroline agreed.

"See that's the thing, we've all done horrible things." Stefan said as he got up and stood next to the sofa, looking at Caroline. " And I'm sitting here, trying to figure out what makes us any better than him. And I think it's just that, we have family we can trust." he explained

"Yeah, you're right, Stefan. Trust is everything." Caroline said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Have you heard from Damon?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's still with Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie at the lake house." Stefan replied.

"How come you didn't mention he was there with Elena?" Caroline asked as she avoided his gaze for a moment before glancing up at him.

Wondering why Caroline was unhappy about Damon and Elena being up at the Lake House with Bonnie and Jeremy, Stefan began to look at her with a questioningly. He was aware that his brother and Elena may have feelings for each other but as far as he was aware, they weren't together, it was too soon after he and Elena had broken up. Surely neither of them would be that heartless to move on so quickly, it had only been a matter of days since they split up. He just didn't understand why Caroline was so concerned.

"Wait, why are you...why are you asking me this?" Stefan managed to force himself to ask, edging himself towards Caroline until he saw her shoulders drop in defeat, and a look of sadness wash over Caroline's face, yet she remained silent. He sat back down the couch as he began to realize what Caroline was hinting at.

"They're together, aren't they?" Stefan asked sadly, but Caroline didn't need to verbally answer his question, the tears of guilt in her eyes told him that Elena had already moved on with Damon.

"How together are they?" Stefan asked, barely able to speak through the shock and hurt the two people he loved most in his life had potentially caused him. He just hoped they hadn't slept together yet. There was still hope that he and Elena would be able to put this behind them once she took the cure if she hadn't slept with Damon. However, Stefan's hopes were dashed when Caroline looked away and didn't answer.

"Caroline, tell me. How together are they?" Stefan demanded, his voice getting angrier, however Caroline still didn't speak, she just looked down at the ground and licked her lips nervously. Turning his face away from Caroline, Stefan sat staring into the fire, angry and devastated from the realization that his world had just come crashing down all around him.

Damon closed the door to Elena's bedroom at the Lake House behind him. Immediately his senses were flooded by a pleasant scent of herbs in the room. He looked towards Elena and wrinkled his nose who looked back and smiled.

"It's burning sage. A privacy spell." Elena told him.

"Why?" Damon asked confused.

"Bonnie told me earlier she was going to do it, just after Professor Shane left." Elena explained. "She wanted to make sure she and Jeremy had a good night's sleep." she laughed as she walked over to him and put her hands on his chest before pushing his leather jacket away from his shoulders, which he shrugged off and threw over a chair, as Elena wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Does that mean they can't hear us at all?" Damon asked, raising one eyebrow as he wrapped his arms around Elena's waist, pulling her in close, flush against his body.

"Yep." Elena grinned. "We can scream to the rafters and they won't hear a thing. But it only lasts as long as the sage is burning, which will only be for about four hours." Damon's face fell at that snippet of information.

"Well that means I'm just going to have to make you scream even louder." his voice dropped into a husky, seductive tone, the one he'd only recently began using for her, and she loved it.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Elena replied, using her own seduction voice, as Damon began to back her up towards the bed, before he threw her on top of the comforter and jumped on top of her, causing her to giggle as he smiled down at her. "This bed is not as sturdy as yours, I don't want to break it." she chastised him.

"Spoilsport." Damon grinned before he attacked her mouth with all of his unbelievable skills of passion and ferocity as he gently stroked her face and hair before his hand began to travel down the side of her body and hooking her leg around his waist. Elena cupped Damon's face with one hand, and although not yet visible, she could feel the faint trace of stubble across his cheek. She locked her other hand around his neck and ran her fingers through his silky soft raven hair.

Damon's hand traveled back up Elena's body and slid under the plum woolen sweater she was wearing as he gently stroked the skin beneath it, reaching behind her back and unsnapping the hooks of her bra. Elena removed her arms from around Damon's neck and lifted them up as Damon pulled away momentarily from her lips and rested back on his heels so that he could remove her sweater and bra before removing his own dark blue shirt, revealing his glorious pale white chest.

Elena gave him an appreciative look as she ran her fingers over his torso before he swooped back down and was hovering above her as once again they began to kiss greedily, their mouths unable to get enough of the taste of each other. Damon began to grind his denim clad erection against her ever dampening pussy buried inside of her own jeans. Deciding she was fed up with just making out and dry humping, Elena used her vampire strength to surprise Damon and rolled on top of him with a glint in her eyes. She shimmied down a little so that her pussy was no longer in contact with Damon's crotch causing Damon to moan in frustration.

"Shh! No talking!" Elena demanded as she began to unbuckle Damon's belt.

"But I thought there was a privacy spell?" Damon whispered as he lifted his back a little to allow Elena to pull the belt away from his jeans.

"We're practicing for when it runs out." she explained winking, as she undid Damon's jeans button and unzipped his fly prompting him to sigh in relief as his erection sprung free of the restrictions of it's denim prison, although it had yet to escape the the relatively minor constraints of his boxer briefs.

Elena pulled Damon's jeans down with a little help from him, managing to remove his socks and shoes in the process, whilst Damon lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, watching her with interest to see what she was planning.

"Stand up!" she commanded, as Damon did as he was told, loving this slightly dominant side of Elena.

Elena pulled his boxer briefs down and he stepped out of them as Elena got down on her knees and threw them to one side before resting on her heels and taking Damon's swollen cock in her hand, swirling her tongue around the tip, and locking her lips around it causing Damon to hiss with pleasure. Once in place Elena began to pump on his dick with her hand and taking him all of the way to the back of her throat, relaxing her gag reflex as if she wanted to swallow him whole, all the while gazing up at him through her lashes, locking eyes with his and never breaking their stare. Damon stroked her hair, her head bobbed up and down his cock, as Elena began pumping harder and her hot wet mouth moving faster up and down his dick, increasing it's sensitivity. Suddenly the telltale signs of his imminent release began to build up.

"Fuck...Elena...Don't stop..." he panted as Elena began to massage his balls.

"Mmhmm." she hummed back, sending vibrations throughout his cock, which became the tipping point, sending him over the edge as he felt his balls contract and heat flooding through his dick as Elena swallowed his release gracefully, holding onto his backside as he shuddered with ecstasy, before Elena removed her mouth and stood up with a grin on her face before kissing him.

"My turn!" Damon smiled, kissing her back whilst massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples with one hand, the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her in tight. "I'm never gonna get tired of feeling your naked body against mine." Damon whispered huskily into her ear as his mouth made its way down her neck and to her breasts, following the path of his hand. He began flicking her nipple with his tongue, causing it to pebble, before taking it into his mouth and sucking on it, occasionally grazing his blunt teeth against it before swapping breasts and giving the other one the same treatment. Meanwhile his hand had made its way down to her now dripping wet pussy as he began to circle her clit with his fingers.

"Legs apart." Damon gently commanded as Elena obliged, all the time looking down it him, again their eyes locked as Damon's kissed away down her abdomen and got down on his knees before his mouth bore down on Elena's heated pussy, whilst wrapping one arm around her backside to help her balance. The moment his tongue touched her slit, Elena felt like she was going to burst into flames. His tongue darted in and out of her entrance as he alternated the action with suckling her nub.

"God you taste good." Damon mumbled as he inserted a finger inside of her, quickly making it two as his mouth began to focus on her clit. As soon as he did that, Elena knew that she wasn't going to last much longer. Them staring at each other whilst he focused on making her come was making her even wetter with desire than usual. Suddenly waves of burning, exquisitely heated contractions pulverized her through her pussy, her spine tingled and she was beginning to feel dizzy from the intensity of it. She wondered if all of her blood had rushed south because that was the only place on her body that was experiencing sensation, it was almost too much.

"Oh my god...oh my god...Damon!" she screamed as she felt her legs begin to buckle. Fortunately Damon realized that she going to fall and vamp-sped them back to the bed to allow her to come down from her high.

"Good job Bonnie placed a privacy spell on the room." Damon smiled after Elena had finally managed to recover, which earned him a slap on the arm prompting him to pout.

"I want you inside of me now!" Elena demanded as Damon took himself in hand, already rock hard again and slowly entered her, rolling his eyes back in pleasure before returning his gaze straight to Elena.

Once Elena had adjusted to his dick, Damon began thrusting more quickly than usual and Elena met every thrust with just as much vigor, a result of them both being so desperate with desire for each other. After a few minutes Damon spun them around so that Elena was on top whilst he was sat upright. It meant Elena had to do more work, but Damon had decided her breasts were in dire need of attention and set out rectifying that situation whilst Elena circled her hips, grinding her clit against him.

Elena's entire body was becoming more and more sensitive to Damon's touch, especially her nipples under his wicked tongue, yet what she really needed from him to send her over the edge was his lips on hers, his tongue in her mouth. Gently grabbing his hair she pulled his head back, his expression was one of someone who was completely at her mercy, like she was at his. She kissed him, biting his lip with her blunt teeth which elicited a groan of desire from Damon's mouth.

Damon rolled them over so that he was on top once more, he lifted her legs so they were behind his neck, allowing deeper penetration and began thrusting with even greater vigor. Him being so deep inside her sent Elena spiraling and she once again felt the telltale signs of her impending orgasm.

"I'm gonna come." she panted.

"Me too." Damon managed to say back, as he took her hand and laced it in his, moving their joined hands towards her nub. He guided her finger around her clit and worked it in circular motions until the contractions started, the heat was as intense as when he'd had his mouth on her, Elena felt like her entire body was being ripped apart with heat and pleasure. She tried to scream, but no sound would come out, she was too far gone for her voice to function any longer and all that was left was her mouth forming a silent 'O'. As her contractions began to ease slightly Elena opened her eyes and watched Damon as her orgasm was milking his cock to his own release. Seeing him like this always seemed to prolong her own orgasm as his face scrunched up in exquisite agony, the beautiful look she'd come to recognize he made as he came, which coincided with the wonderful feeling of his warm fluid erupting inside of her. Damon collapsed on top of her for a moment to catch his breath, before rolling off her and laying on his back.

Elena laid on her side and watched him for a moment, admiring his beauty, she'd never get enough of him and that there would never be another man to factor in her life again. She'd never felt anything before like what she felt for Damon, he was her everything, and at the moment, she knew she was in love with him.

"What's going round in that pretty little head of yours?" Damon asked as he looked over at her.

"I'll tell you tomorrow." she said, deciding that now was not the right time for a declaration of love as he'd suspect she was just overcome by lust. "You ready for more?" she asked instead.

"My pleasure." he grinned.

"That's the intention." she smiled back as they continued to make the most of the burning sage.

Caroline was still sitting on the sofa, watching Stefan, scared for him. He had taken the revelation of the true depth of Damon and Elena's relationship as badly as she'd expected. He was clearly heartbroken, and in that moment, Caroline hated her best friend. She had no idea what Elena could possibly see in the scumbag she was probably having sex with right now over the kind, gentle person in front of her who'd been driven to the boundaries of hell by his treacherous brother and the slutty behavior of her best friend. Caroline felt her heart bleed for Stefan and tears filled her eyes as she watched him.

He stood back up and walked over to the chess board and picked up the white King, gently knocking over one of the chess pieces on the chess board, before the rage took over and he suddenly knocked the board off the table with such force that it flew halfway across the room, causing Caroline to flinch. Stefan then picked up the table the chess board had been on and threw it with enough force to also send it flying halfway across the room. Caroline closed her eyes and began to cry, she was scared that Stefan had flipped the switch when she saw the expression on his face. It was like there was no longer anyone there as he just breathed heavily as he stared at nothing.

"Stefan?" she finally asked, hoping that he was still the person the knew.

"It's okay Caroline." he said, turning to her with tears in his eyes. "I promised I wouldn't, and I'll keep my promise. You're all that I have left right now, and I need to hold onto that and my humanity." he smiled sadly as Caroline stood up and breathed in a huge sigh of relief before walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck in a show of solidarity, however Stefan was too distraught to reciprocate the gesture and he just let his arms fall to the side of his body, a sign of desolation.

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon woke to the sound of his phone ringing. Opening his eyes he spotted it on the bedside table, next to the clock, telling him that it was already after eight which was probably why he could smell bacon cooking from downstairs. He picked up his phone and looked over his shoulder to where Elena was still sleeping, hoping the call wouldn't disturb her. Noticing that the caller ID was coming up as Liz, he frowned. Liz never called unless it was important.

"Good morning to you Liz, my favorite Sheriff, how can I help?" he asked quietly.

"Hi Damon, I'm sorry if I've disturbed you, I know it's early, but we have a situation." she told him. "Carol Lockwood was found dead last night." Liz told him.

"How?" he asked stunned.

"She drowned in the Winter Wonderland Fountain." Damon could hear Liz's voice almost breaking.

"Hush, it's okay Liz." Damon tried to calm her down in a whisper as Elena began to stir next to him. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, first of all, as you're one of the more senior council members, I have a duty to offer you the role of interim mayor if you want it." she told him. "Although I have a feeling I already know your answer."

"Sorry Liz. No can do." he apologized. "People will start asking questions when in ten years time when I still look twenty five years old. Plus I'm starting to think the job is cursed or something, and I'd like to continue being a living dead person."

"I knew that would be your answer." Liz said. "But I'm sure you appreciate that I still had to ask."

"No problem. Is there anything else I can do?" Damon offered as he noticed Elena open her eyes and frown at him. He covered the mouthpiece and silently mouthed Liz to her as she nodded in recognition of the caller.

"Well, there's going to be a church memorial tomorrow, if you can help with that." she asked.

"Sure, whatever I can do, I'll be back in Mystic Falls later today.." he reassured her. "Was it an accident?" Damon asked, although he had a sneaky suspicion that it was something to do with revenge on Tyler by Klaus for him helping the hybrids break their sire bonds.

"There were contusions all over the back of her neck. So what do you think?" Liz asked dryly.

"Klaus." Damon snarled. "It has to be."

"There's nothing we can do even if it is. Nobody has seen him since last night." Liz told him. "We've ruled Carol's death as head trauma from a fall-that's the official autopsy." Can't have too many questions asked." she told him. "Well look Damon, I gotta go. I've got a new Mayor to find." she said as she hung up the phone.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, confusion etched all over her face.

"Carol Lockwood was found dead last night, drowned in the Winter Wonderland Fountain." he told her with a worried face as Elena's eye opened wide and her jaw dropped. Damon's face was clearly angry and in shock, he'd worked closely with Carol over the last year and knew her well.

"Oh my god!" Elena gasped. "You said Klaus. You think he did it?" she asked frowning.

"Liz said there were marks on the back of her neck, so it wasn't an accident." Damon explained. "Tyler has been helping the hybrids break the sire bond, my guess is Klaus found out and was a little pissed." he grimaced.

"Poor Tyler." Elena's face dropped.

"You reap what you sow." Damon said coldly as Elena frowned at him. "What?" he shrugged looking at her questioningly before he got out of bed and began to walk around it to the bathroom.

"How can you be so unsympathetic towards him? He just lost his mom." she admonished.

"While he was too busy being a dick and wanting to play pack 'Alpha', did he never once stop to think about the possible consequences if it all went wrong?" Damon asked, his voice growing ever so slightly louder. "He was playing with fire Elena. What did he think would happen when Klaus found out? Huh? A congratulatory handshake and a golden doggie dish? He has his mother's blood on his hands and he knows it. It's not grief he's feeling right now, it's guilt. And so he fucking should be!" Damon shouted as he slammed the bathroom door behind him causing Elena to flinch.

Elena waited a few moments to let Damon calm down when she heard the shower being switched on. She quietly opened the bathroom door and saw Damon was already in the shower. Already naked from sleeping in the nude, Elena slipped into the shower behind him.

"Elena...Not now." he groaned.

"I'm not here for that. Now pass me the shampoo." Elena demanded.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because, dumbass, I'm going to wash your hair. Now hand it here." Elena instructed as Damon sighed and passed her the shampoo. "You know, I'm here for you, no matter what." she told him as she gently began to massaged the gel into his scalp whilst he had his back to her. "That's my job as your girlfriend. I'm here to help you when you're angry, upset, hurt. If I can't stop or ease the pain, I'll try and carry some of the burden." she continued as she pushed him under the spray and picked up the soap from behind her and began to lather it over his shoulders, earning her a moan of pleasure. "I'm here for you, no matter what. I will argue, I may offer a different opinion, but I'll try not to judge. It's possible that we can both be right and both be wrong at the same time." Elena continued washing his body, yet it was not a sexual act, it was an act of cleansing of the soul. "What matters is that we're here for each other." She turned him around, and knelt down as began to wash the front of his body, starting from his feet and working her way up. "You don't need to hide from me, and you don't need to push me away." she continued as she made her way up towards his chest. She'd intentionally left out his intimate parts for him to wash to prove the act not about sex, but about emotional needs.

"What good deed did I ever do to deserve you?" he said with a croaky voice as he washed the one part she'd left out. Elena tried to avert her eyes knowing the effect it would have on her if she watched him, and right now was not the time for getting turned on.

"You let me see the real Damon Salvatore." she told him. "The one behind the cocky arrogant vampire exterior. The man who can be selfless, caring sweet, protective, a little insecure and slightly neurotic when it comes to cleaning." she smiled before looking him in the eyes as he began to laugh.

"I'm not neurotic when it comes to cleaning." Damon pouted, before saying "Come here." as he said wrapping his arms around her waist as Elena responded by hooking hers around his neck as they rested their foreheads together, whilst they stared at each other in the eyes. They stood there like that under the spray of the shower for what seemed an eternity, although it was probably no longer than a minute, before Damon broke away and kissed Elena chastely on the lips. "Now turn around and pass me the shampoo." he asked "It's your turn, before the water gets cold." he instructed her as he began to wash Elena's hair.

Three days later Elena was sat in the school gym whilst Sheriff Forbes held a student memorial for Carol Lockwood. She and Damon had recovered pretty quickly from their argument as she could see his point, but the mayors death had meant that they'd had to cut their break short and return back to Mystic Falls, where Damon had determined that they might be safer, as Klaus had suddenly disappeared off the radar. They'd had Bonnie put a spell on the Gilbert residence to protect them from Klaus or Stefan getting in and Damon had taken to staying overnight under the pretense of babysitting Jeremy. Although they figured Jeremy was safe from Klaus, it was decided that Damon would watch over him when he was at work at the Grill. However, Damon's real reason was Stefan avoidance. His brother had been acting weird since he'd returned from the Lake House and Damon suspected that Stefan had worked out that he and Elena were more than just friends, either that or Blondie had blabbed, she wasn't exactly known for being able to keep her mouth shut.

The major concern they had was Bonnie. When they'd returned to Mystic Falls, they'd discovered Klaus had wiped out twelve hybrids, the exact same numbers required for a sacrifice. Damon was all ready to go back to New Orleans and find out more about it from the witch Nandi, but Elena managed to talk him out of going, citing she wouldn't feel safe without him. He wanted to know if the more powerful the sacrificial creature was, the more powerful magic she was able to access. She'd already been struggling to control her human powered magic, Damon was worried how much fuel hybrid power would give her and if it would make her potentially dangerous. Elena suggested they should wait for the following weekend, then they could fly out to New Orleans and maybe even take Bonnie and Jeremy with them, just so that Bonnie could hear it from a witch who knew more about it and was likely to give a more honest answer than Professor Shane.

"Carol Lockwood always said that togetherness in times of tragedy leads to healing, that one community is stronger than a thousand of its members." Sheriff Forbes said as she began addressing the students, breaking Elena from her reverie. "But how does a community stay strong after losing its leader? And Carol was so much more than a leader; she was an open-minded friend and a concerned mother, taken from us too soon by a terrible accident." she went on.

"Fuck this." Elena overheard Tyler swear angrily under his breath.

"What? Tyler? Tyler?" Caroline whispered as Elena turned to watch as Tyler stood up and left the gym.

"Please join me in observing a minute silence in her memory." Elena heard Sheriff Forbes instruct the assembly.

Everyone put their heads down to respect the minute of silence as Elena looked over to the other side of the gym where Tyler had disappeared to see if she could see where he'd gone, but instead to her surprise, she saw Rebekah. She closed her eyes, figuring she must be a figment of her imagination as Elena knew that Klaus had daggered his sister. When Elena opened her eyes again Rebekah was gone.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie whispered.

"Be right back." Elena advised her as she stood up to leave the gym and set off in the general direction of where she'd seen Rebekah.

"Thank you so much. In the wake of this tragedy, the town has selected an interim mayor. Many of you may already know him. Please welcome Mr. Rudy Hopkins." Elena heard Sheriff Forbes introduce the new mayor as she made her way past the row of people and down the steps to the exit.

"Thank you so much, Sheriff. Carol Lockwood put this town first. That's why I'm here to talk to you guys. You folks are the future of Mystic Falls..." Elena heard Mayor Hopkins greet the students as his voice tailed off in the background as she set off walking down the hallway. She suddenly heard someone crying, which prompting her to stop and look for who was crying, as she turned around the corner to follow the sound, she immediately found the source as April Young was stood in the hallway with tears in her eyes.

"April, what's wrong?" Elena asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." April sniffled.

"But you're crying?" Elena offered sympathetically.

"It's just the whole mayor thing, you know. It's bringing stuff up about my dad." April explained as Elena nodded sympathetically "And I know you're a vampire." April added startling Elena.

"Wait, what?" Elena asked in complete shock at this revelation as she suddenly heard a whoosh, a sudden pain in her neck combined with a cracking noise and everything went dark.

"Was that necessary?" April asked.

"No, but it was fun. " Rebekah grinned.

Stefan was still reeling from shock after finding out that Damon and Elena had taken their 'relationship' to the next level. It turned out Klaus had been more than right about referring Damon and Elena's babysitting trip being more of a romantic getaway than trying to keep Jeremy and Bonnie alive. Typical Damon, always thinking of his own selfish needs. Because of that, he'd been trying to avoid Damon since he and Elena had returned three days ago from their trip to the Lake House. Fortunately, Damon had made life easier by staying at Elena's under the false pretenses of protecting Jeremy. Unfortunately, the knowledge of the real reason behind Damon staying at Elena's made him angry because they were lying to him, but he'd promised Caroline that he wouldn't go on a ripper binge and he wanted to keep it that way, so he opted for the next best thing, alcohol and copious amounts of it. This is what had led him to be sat in the Mystic Grill drinking the bar dry instead of attending the school memorial for Carol Lockwood. Suddenly his phone rang, checking the caller ID he saw it was Caroline, knowing that she wouldn't stop calling he might as well answer it.

"Hey, you just missed the mandatory school assembly." Caroline chided.

"Well, that's because I'm at a mandatory all-day drinking party." Stefan sneered taking a sip from his glass of whiskey.

"Seriously? You decided to go on a ripper bender now?" Caroline growled.

"My brother slept with Elena. It kinda puts a damper on things." Stefan told her sarcastically.

"First of all, you weren't supposed to know that, and second of all, Tyler is already spiraling, and he gets top priority." Caroline admonished.

"His mother just died. What do you expect?" Stefan asked.

"I'm his girlfriend. I expect him to talk to me. Instead, he's all angry, and it doesn't help that everyone keeps referring to his mother's death as an accident, which is just a really polite way of saying she was drunk." Caroline sighed.

"You think Klaus killed her?" Stefan asked.

"Hmm, I don't think she drowned in her martini glass. Just, get it together. I can't do it alone." Caroline insisted before hanging up.

Elena woke to find she was sat down leaning against a bookshelf in the library. Taking in her surroundings, she checked to see if she could see Rebekah, but she wasn't anywhere in sight. Believing she was safe, Elena got up as she noticed April walk in.

"The assembly is over." April told her.

"What the hell is going on?" Elena groaned.

"The school will be empty soon..." April informed her. "How many times did you compel me?" she demanded as Elena looks at her confused."Don't...don't lie. Rebekah says you lie."

"Rebekah isn't who you think she is April." Elena warned.

"What? She's not a thousand-year-old Original vampire" April shrugged.

"Listen, we can figure this out, but we have to get out of here." Elena said trying to urge April into leaving by pulling her along, however as they turned down the next aisle of bookshelves Elena saw Rebekah standing there.

"Sorry, not allowed." Rebekah said dryly as she walked up to Elena. "Why don't you take a seat? The rest of the class will be here shortly." she smiled as she compelled Elena.

Stefan's was still sat in the Grill getting drunk after his conversation with Caroline as his phone began ringing again. Expecting it to be Caroline again, he looked at the caller ID, to his surprise it said 'Unknown Caller'. Annoyed by the distraction he answered it.

"What?" he snapped.

"Guess who? I'm back, dagger-free, and I'm holding Elena hostage at the high school. Just thought you should know." he heard Rebekah sneer.

"Who the hell was dumb enough to pull that dagger out of you?" Stefan asked shocked.

"I'll be asking the questions today. See you soon." Rebekah corrected him as she hung up.

Stefan downed the last of his drink and called Caroline.

"I'm only ready to talk to you if you're ready to rejoin civilization." Caroline chided.

"How would you like to drive the white oak stake through Rebekah's heart?" Stefan asked as he got up to leave and headed towards the exit.

"If it means that you're not drinking your way through the Mystic Grill, sure." Caroline agreed.

Damon was on babysitting duty whilst Little Gilbert was at work and Elena was at the school memorial assembly for Carol Lockwood. Jeremy had managed to escape as he was working a shift at the Grill and he had to start before the assembly finished. Damon had just made his way to the bar having just walked past Stefan who was in a hurry to leave and ignored him. As Damon and was just settling down for his first glass of whiskey he overheard Liz Forbes voice talking to the new Mayor.

"Here are the pictures." he heard Liz say.

"She did not go gently, did she? Any leads?" Mayor Hopkins replied.

"We have ideas." Liz told him. Having heard enough, Damon decided, standing up, it was time to introduce himself to the newly appointed interim Mayor of Mystic Falls.

"Hello Mayor Hopkins. Damon Salvatore." Damon introduced himself smiling as he held his hand out for the Mayor.

"Well hello Mr Salvatore." Mayor Hopkins replied taking Damon's hand and shaking it..

"You can call me Damon." Damon grinned.

"Hey Damon." Liz smiled.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Mayor Lockwood's death." he whispered.

"How the hell...?" Mayor Hopkins asked as Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Don't pretend like you don't know what I am." Damon snorted. "Anyway, lets cut to the chase. Carol's 'accident' was let's say, more of a Klaus retaliation incident instead."

"Klaus?" Mayor Hopkins glance alternated between Damon and Liz. "As in Klaus Mikaelson?" he asked in a whisper.

"Let's just say Tyler Lockwood provoked him and I'm guessing this is how he got his revenge." Damon nodded.

"So what are we planning on doing about it?" Mayor Hopkins asked.

"Nobody's seen or heard from him since the night of the 'accident'." Liz told him, the use of the word accident caused Damon to hiss in displeasure. "What do you want me to say Damon?" she chastised to him before returning her attention back to Mayor Hopkins. "Even if we had, there's nothing the law or the council can do about it."

"You mean the council Pastor Young blew up?" Damon raised an eyebrow to Liz before turning to address the Mayor. "Look, Klaus Mikaelson is an evil one thousand year old hybrid who has his sights set on world domination and Ca..." Damon stopped before he said too much, he didn't want to worry Liz that Klaus may have a thing for her daughter. "Creating an army of hybrids." he backtracked. "The only thing that will kill him is a special stake and there is only one of its kind in existence. Now there is a long line of people wanting to kill Klaus, myself included. However there's just one little problem with that. You see, you kill him, you kill his entire bloodline. Every vampire that was changed by his blood will die. Now it just so happens that every vampire in Mystic Falls is part of his bloodline, including your ex wife, which makes him the most well protected vampire in town. So I wouldn't try anything if I were you." Damon warned.

"Are you threatening me?" Mayor Hopkins asked.

"Nope, but your daughter might." Damon smiled. "Well, I need another drink. I'll be at the bar if anyone needs me. Bye Liz, bye Mayor Hopkins, it's been a pleasure getting to know you." he said smiling and nodding his head before he turned and walked back towards direction of the bar.

"So, first speech under your belt, and now you've met Damon Salvatore. You sure you want this? I mean, six people were offered this job before you. They all said no for a reason." Liz warned.

"I'm saying 'yes' for a reason, and my reason just walked in." Rudy said nodding towards the door as Bonnie walks in.

"Well thanks a lot for taking this job on. Good luck. Your gonna need it." Liz told him.

"Thank you, Sheriff." Mayor Hopkins smiled as Liz got up to leave.

"Hey, Sheriff." Bonnie smiled.

"Hello Bonnie." Liz smiled. "Mayor." she nodded to Mayor Hopkins before leaving and Bonnie sitting down and taking Liz's seat at the table.

"Hey, dad." Bonnie greeted as she sat down.

"Hey." Mayor Hopkins replied.

"So...Far cry from being a traveling pharmaceutical rep." Bonnie asked.

"I noticed a few of your friends missing from the assembly. So much for mandatory, I guess, huh?" Mayor Hopkins chastised.

"Dad, stop. You can't come in here and start making rules." Bonnie complained.

"I think this town could use a few more rules." Mayor Hopkins warned.

"You're forgetting I can help protect the town." Bonnie insisted.

"I'm well-aware of your gifts, Bonnie. But don't forget I'm your father. That means _I_ get to protect _you_." Mayor Hopkins told her.

Stefan met Caroline at the school and handed her the white oak stake, it had been in his possession since he'd taken it from Elena at Rebekah's party. Now he wished he'd let Elena dagger her in the first place. Instead Caroline now had it as they scoured the school for Rebekah and Elena. Stefan received a text from Caroline telling him _2nd floor clear_ He continued down the hallway looking in classrooms until he heard a noise and looks towards the end of the hallway. He replied to Caroline informing her of his discovery, _1st floor. I'll distract her. You stake her._ However, as he pressed send he looked up, he saw Rebekah standing right in front of him.

"Hello, Stefan." she sneered as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"I'm here. What do you want?" Stefan demanded.

"The same thing I wanted when you helped Niklaus dagger me." Rebekah told him.

"The cure." Stefan deduced as Rebekah grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him against the lockers. Using all of his strength Stefan took hold of Rebekah by the neck, swung them around and pushed her against the lockers.

"I hope you're not waiting for Caroline to show up and stake me..." Rebekah said as she showed him the stake. "...because I already found her." Rebekah smirked as she grabbed back hold of him and dragged him along with her into the library.

"Stefan..." Elena gasped getting up.

"Did I say you could move?" Rebekah asked as Elena sat back down.

Damon was still at the Mystic Grill, drinking and watching Jeremy clear tables. He'd been there an hour already and was wondering if Elena had gone straight home from the memorial for Carol. He'd seen Bonnie arrive and leave with her dad the mayor, so he knew the assembly was over. He was about to get his phone out and call Elena when he heard a voice from behind with a British accent.

"I'm sorry. Did I interrupt drinking time?" Klaus's voice seemed to appear out of nowhere, prompting Damon to turn around and see the Original sat in Ric's seat.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Damon grimaced, deciding not to say anything about the seat being taken on this occasion.

"I'm simply having a drink at my local pub. You see I've got a bit of planning to do. People to turn into vampires for Connor to kill and all, and what better place to find unsired help than the pub." Klaus grinned, suggesting that he was up to something.

"And how are you going to do that now you don't have any of your little minions left to do your dirty work." Damon said, deciding to take the bait as he took a sip from his glass of whiskey.

"Yeah, see, minions, that's not a number. Twelve. That's a number. That's how many of my hybrids I slaughtered with my sword. Three. That's how many days it took to quell the urge to kill your brother after he knowingly watched as I walked into a death trap. One. That's the number of purposes you serve. No idea, that's the number of vampire required to complete the Hunter's mark, which you are going to help me with." Klaus informed him.

"No can do, I'm busy." Damon growled prompting Klaus to smirk.

"Looks like it." Klaus observed as he looked down at Damon's glass of whiskey. "That's a pity. I'm going to need that cure sooner rather than later. Hybrid shortage and all. I thought you'd be desperate to get your hands on it, what with the sire bond. It must be _so_ frustrating not knowing whether the lovely Elena's feelings for you are real." Klaus smirked

"There is no sire bond." Damon grimaced. "My idiot of a brother told you that because he can't get over the fact that she left him for me. If there was a sire bond, you wouldn't be here asking for my help to grow Connor's mark. You know why? Because he'd be dead. Elena would've killed him because I told her to." he smirked.

"That's a pity. But aren't you curious to know why she had a sudden change of heart." Klaus asked, sounding sincere. "I mean she was so in love with Stefan, and yet the moment she became a vampire she switched brothers. My guess is you don't want her to become human again because you know you'll lose her to Stefan. You're being selfish Damon, you know she wants to be human. If you truly love her, you'll let her have her wish and set her free. And that's where I can help." Klaus said smugly. Deep down Damon knew Klaus had a point. It would always be at the back of his mind that human Elena had picked Stefan. She'd had feelings for him as a human, but she was never in love with him, however Elena had made herself clear, the cure would involve mass killings and she wouldn't want Damon turning hundreds of people just to get her humanity back.

Damon pondered over on Klaus's statement for a minute with a frown, prompting an ever growing smile on the Original's face. However, Damon turned his mind to the immediate problems and decided he needed to call Elena and warn her that Klaus was back in town. He stood up to head to the bathroom so that he could call Elena quickly in private, but before he could, he had another matter to settle with Klaus. Therefore just as he was about to walk off towards the bathroom he swung his fist and punched Klaus in the face.

"That's for Carol Lockwood." Damon growled as he headed towards the bathroom, whilst Klaus looked up at him in surprise. Once inside he turned on the taps and started searching frantically through his pockets, hoping they'd contain an emergency vial of vervain whilst at the same time taking out his phone to call Elena, however all it was doing was going straight to voicemail, he decided to leave a message.

"Elena, look wherever you are, don't come to the Grill until I say. Klaus is here and he wants me and him to go on some vamp production road trip. I told him to go to hell but..." Damon stopped as the door opened and Klaus entered the bathroom.

"I was being polite in my offer, but I never said it was optional." Klaus smiled before moving forward and grabbing Damon by the shoulders and staring him in the eye. "You will come with me to make vampires for Connor to kill." Klaus compelled him.

 

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

"Class is in session!" Rebekah told Stefan, Elena and Caroline as she threw Stefan towards a seat, where he sat down. "You've all been compelled, you know the rules. Answer my questions honestly, no disobedience, no one leaves. April, my sweet, take notes." Rebekah instructed, as she paced the floor behind where Elena was sat. "This is how you get answers in this town. Let's start with a little quiz. In the year 1114, my brother learnt, thanks to yours truly, about a brotherhood of vampire hunters with tattoos that grew with each kill. These tattoos revealed what, Elena?" she asked.

"A map." Elena answered in a bored tone.

"Which led to...? Caroline?" Rebekah demanded.

"A cure for vampirism." Caroline groaned.

"Perfect, so we're all caught up. Stefan Salvatore!" Rebekah looked at Stefan as she addressed him. "The last time we saw each other, you had a vampire hunter, but in order to decode the map, you needed the location of the hunter's sword, which you got out of me using some very dirty tricks." Rebekah said frowning at Stefan whilst she continued pacing around the table. "Assuming you found the sword, you also found the cure, and yet, you're all still vampires, which means something went wrong." she said in apparent confusion, when suddenly she became distracted by April furiously writing something. "What are you doing?" Rebekah asked April.

"Oh, you asked me to take notes." April offered proudly.

"I wasn't being literal, darling." Rebekah said in a patronizing tone. "But now that you mention it...a flow chart would be nice, which means index cards and push-pins. Go, fetch." she added as April got up and left the room to hunt for the equipment Rebekah had asked for.

"You're wasting your time. We don't know anything." Stefan told Rebekah.

"So, you just gave up?" Rebekah asked confused. "I thought you would do anything to save Elena? Even if it meant taking the cure yourself, so you could grow old and die with her?" she said sarcastically, as she carefully watched the awkward body language between Stefan and Elena. Noticing the look on Elena's face, it appeared that she was surprised by this revelation which confused Rebekah. "Why do you look so surprised?" she asked. When nobody replied she began to get a little impatient. "I'm missing something. What is it?" Rebekah demanded.

"They broke up, okay?" Caroline admitted in a frustrated voice, causing Rebekah to smile. "Now let us go." she demanded.

"Broke up?" Rebekah said taken aback by this revelation. "Wait, I'm confused. I thought Elena was your epic love, Stefan?" she asked as she sat down in the chair April had just vacated and stared intently at Stefan.

"I asked you what happened. You have to tell me." Rebekah compelled him.

"She slept with Damon." Stefan said uncomfortably, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room.

Rebekah watched as Elena's looked at Stefan in surprise, her expression made it clear she wasn't aware that Stefan knew that she'd already slept with Damon. Rebekah's gaze fell upon Caroline, who was looking very uncomfortable, suggesting she was the one who'd spilled the beans. Rebekah smiled at the dynamic around the table, before standing up.

"So, vampire Elena is a trollop who likes bad boys, which explains why Stefan reeks of alcohol. But what it doesn't explain is why sweet, loving, innocent Elena could be so heartless towards Stefan." Rebekah bent down to talk into Elena's ear condescendingly, however Elena turned away before glancing at Stefan. "How could she hurt you like that? Answer, please." she demanded.

Stefan sighed before glancing up at Elena. "She didn't know it at the time, but she was sired to Damon." he said.

Rebekah sat down on a chair between Stefan and Elena." A sire bond. That's fascinating. And what do you think about that, Elena?" she asked.

"I''m not sired to Damon." Elena insisted. "Stefan has it fixed in his head that I am, even though he knows that I'm not because he knows I've done things against Damon's wishes since I turned." she explained.

"So if you're not sired to him, why did you sleep with him?" Rebekah asked, compelling Elena to tell the truth.

"I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him." Elena told her.

"So why is Stefan sooo convinced that you are sired to him?" Rebekah asked.

"Because when we thought Klaus was dead, I had to choose who to say goodbye to, Stefan or Damon and I chose Stefan, which is why I was on Wickery Bridge that night when you forced Matt into driving off it." Elena said furiously.

"But that doesn't explain why you'd change your feelings. Yes I get it, we're a little darker when we turn, but it doesn't make us fall out of love with someone and fall in love with another person within days of becoming a vampire." a smirk crossed Rebekah's face. "Were you in love with Damon when you were human?" she asked, although this time she didn't compel her.

"I don't know." Elena said quietly, glancing up at Stefan who looked back at her. Elena could see the hurt and confusion clearly visible on his face, a consequence of what she had said and the implications relating to not knowing whether she was already in love with his brother when she'd chosen him instead.

"Think about it, I want you to remember when you first started to fall in love with Damon." Rebekah insisted, this time using compulsion on her. "When was the first time you thought that you could see a future with Damon, think darling, I mean when did it first cross your mind that Damon might be 'The One' and not Stefan? When did you start getting butterflies in the stomach just by being near him?" she compelled her. "I'll let you think about that one, it might take a little time." she smirked as she saw Elena's shocked face when she opened her mouth to tell Rebekah what she had been compelled her to, before realizing Rebekah had never asked her to disclose the information.

Caroline looked between Stefan and Elena for a moment and decided to intervene."What does any of this have to do with the stupid cure?"she asked, ensuring Elena never got the chance to say anything, not realizing that Elena wasn't compelled to share the information.

"You're right. We got off the point." Rebekah suddenly asked deciding that it was time to get back to the topic at hand. "Stefan, how do I find the cure? Unless, you'd rather talk about Damon and Elena all day." she threatened with a smile.

"There's a professor. He knows where the cure is." Stefan told her, his voice almost breaking as he lifted his eyes to the ceiling in an attempt to stop the tears from falling.

"Thank you. And, uh, where do I find this professor?" Rebekah asked.

"Whitmore College, he's the Professor of Occult studies." Elena told her.

"Name please?" Rebekah asked.

"Atticus Shane." Stefan informed her as he looked down at his hands which were clasped together, as Rebekah pulled her phone out of her pocket and began sending a text.

After lunch with her father, Bonnie had been furious with him, he was treating her as if she was still a powerless little girl, not the grown woman with magical powers. She'd driven out to Whitmore college to see Shane as he could usually say or do something to help put her mind at ease. Like usual, when she arrived she found him in his office, ready to listen to her problems.

"Okay, so now I'm "gifted"?" Bonnie paced the floor angrily, whilst Professor Shane walked over from one of his artifacts and sat down at his desk to listen to her. "He hates my witch heritage. That's why he travels all the time; he can't handle it. And then, suddenly, he wants to be a protective father? No, not like this." she growled as she sat down at Professor Shane's desk, opposite him. "Come on, distract me. Isn't there some magic therapy-thing you haven't shown me yet?" she pleaded.

"Listen, Bonnie, I hate to tell you this-actually, you know what? I take that back. I'm proud to tell you this. You don't need my help anymore. In fact..." Professor Shane smiled as he opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a black tin box before removing it's contents. "I was hoping to present this with a cupcake or something. Happy graduation." Professor Shane congratulated her handing Bonnie a strange looking necklace which centered around a square piece of some off white mineral or stone, with etchings carved into it.

"It's beautiful." Bonnie said stunned and pleased with the necklace.

"It's human bone." Professor Shane told her smiling.

"Oh." Bonnie's face fell, suddenly feeling a little less comfortable with the gift.

"Legend says it was worn by the 2000-year-old witch, Qetsiyah, who drew on it for strength." Shane explained. "Bonnie, you have come so far so fast. You trust my opinion. Your magic is exactly where it needs to be." he advised her, with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Does this mean that I have to go home now?" Bonnie asked, a little disappointed.

"It means I've got a stack of papers that I have to grade by tomorrow." Professor Shane admitted.

"I can take a hint." Bonnie nodded smiling as she stood up to leave. "Thanks, Shane." Bonnie said as she turned and walked out of the door. As she left Bonnie noticed a young man heading in the direction of Professor Shane's office, smiling at her as he walked past. Bonnie smiled back, his face seemed so familiar, although she couldn't initially think where she knew him from. Bonnie continued trying to figure out the identity of the young man as she rounded the next corner when suddenly she realized who he was.

"Oh, my god...Kol!" Bonnie gasped as she rushed back to Shane's office. "Shane!" she cried frantically looking around, only to find it already empty.

"Phone!" Rebekah demanded as she held her hand out to Caroline who took her phone out from her pocket and handed it over to her captor who searched for a number before holding the phone to her ear, although she knew the rest of the group could hear every word that was said with their vampire hearing.

"I told you, I don't wanna talk." snapped Tyler, as his voice came out from the other end of the phone.

"I heard, and you're keeping all that rage bottled up inside. Caroline's worried sick about you." Rebekah said with fake sincerity and a smile on her face.

"Rebekah?" Tyler growled, realizing it wasn't Caroline who he was speaking to.

"Hello, Tyler. I heard my brother made a real mess of your life. Believe me, I can relate. You have my condolences." Rebekah offered in mock sympathy. "In fact, why don't you come down to the high school so you can accept them in person?" she practically demanded.

"And why would I do that?" Tyler asked angrily.

"Because I have your girlfriend. Maybe you have a better shot saving her than you did your mother. Bye now!" Rebekah said sweetly as she hung up on Tyler, just as Kol poked his head through the library doors, prompting everyone in the room to turn and look at him.

"Sister...Look at this! You're even worse than Klaus." Kol complained sarcastically with a grin on his face.

"Kol, finally." Rebekah sighed in relief. "Did you bring what I asked for?" she asked as Kol dragged a flustered looking Professor Shane into the library to join them.

"You must be Shane." Rebekah introduced herself. "I think we need to have a little chat in private, don't you think brother?" she asked as she switched her gaze from Professor Shane to Kol.

"Of course sister, lead the way." Kol smiled as he held out his hand, gesturing for Rebekah to show them where to go.

As Rebekah began to leave the library, she suddenly stopped and turned to face the three vampires sitting at the table. "You lot stay here until I come back!" she called over as she compelled them.

It was just after midday as Damon and Klaus were on some back road heading out to a bar in Nowheresville in Klaus's van, which was all decked out ready to take on passengers for his vampire making project. Damon wasn't too happy with the turn of events, he just wanted to get back to make sure Elena was fine as she'd not been answering his calls, unfortunately he had no choice about his road trip with Klaus as the hybrid had compelled him. Compulsion or not, it didn't stop Damon from complaining about it.

"If you want payback for me punching you, go for it, cause instead you'll be stuck with my baby bro, the vampire maker that couldn't make vampires because he rips people's heads off." Damon said sarcastically.

"And I thought you were the fun brother. However you are right, Stefan is of no use to me right now." Klaus told him. "But if there is no sire bond, then why is he so desperate for the cure?" he asked.

"Because he thinks Elena will leave me and go back to him." Damon told him honestly, there was no point in lying to Klaus. "And after me helping you with this little exercise, there's a good chance she still will." he grumbled.

"There, there. No need to worry." Klaus reassured him. "I'm not going to ask you to do any killing. I just want you to compel them to get into the truck and feed them your blood for me. Then drive them back to where I'm keeping the hunter, then I will kill them and force them to turn, after that I will compel them to walk into the room with Connor and let him kill them." Klaus explained.

"So why are you being all nice and helpful in my quest to get the girl by not forcing me to kill them?" Damon asked suspiciously. "Or are you really a closet romantic at heart?" he smirked.

"Logistics Damon, completely self serving. We can't have them waking up on the road and beginning to panic, so that when we remove them from the van they'll try to run, which would waste time. Instead I need them immediately fed and compelled. By the time you get back with another load, you can remove the dead ones and dump the bodies somewhere." he smirked as he turned to look at Damon. "It's the quickest method."

"Oh great." Damon grimaced as looked at Klaus. "Now I'm and undertaker as well? I'm not dressed for this." he added looking down at his gray sweater, frowning.

"Actually, I'm quite perplexed as to why Stefan believed Elena was sired to you." Klaus mused, ignoring Damon's remarks. "Although, from what the lovely Caroline was telling me, Elena was following your every command or suggestion, to the extent I also suspected the same. However, if what you say is true, it turns out that it was no more than a mere way of flirting. Now if Stefan already knows she did not carry out these requests which would make you happy, why does he still believe she is sired?" he asked.

"Darwinism, Klaus. Stefan hasn't evolved to understanding that a woman would actually leave him for me." Damon smirked. "He believes there might be a different type of siring which is purely emotional."

"Ah you mean love?" Klaus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, it's a little early for that, but having feelings yes." Damon admitted.

"And here was I, thinking she is possibly only with you because she's a vampire. You know if you cure her there's a good chance she will run back to him. That's why you don't really want the cure isn't it, even though you pretend to?" Klaus smirked. "Yet, if you truly love her, you'll do what's best for her, and you know being human is what she _really_ wants."

"You don't think that occurred to me, Klaus?" Damon asked. "But what I do know is that she doesn't want to be your human blood bag, and I'm respecting those wishes, although I would like her to have the option to choose." he said.

"Tragedy is, Damon, it did occur to you, and yet you still choose to ignore it for your own selfish reasons." Klaus smirked. "My guess is also that you want to find a way to get the cure yet spare innocent lives to impress Elena and walk down the moral high road. So instead you endeavored to not to get involved, but let us say you did find the cure, you at least tried to not let your hands get dirty. That way you've given her the choice. All this just to win a few points in your favor, should Elena then choose to take it. Let her think you are less of a monster. Give yourself a fighting chance against your brother for her love." he grinned. "Well, I'm afraid that's not going to happen mate. We need to get that mark completed as soon as possible. No time wasted on just choosing the riff-raff to keep the her indoors happy."

"Fuck you!" Damon growled. "Now I know why those hybrids hated you. You are annoying."

"Now, now. There's no need for obscenities." Klaus chided as they pulled up into the parking lot of a bar which had the name Zanadew Lounge lit up in blue, red and green neon lights. It was a place out in the back of nowhere, somewhere where only the dregs of society would hang out. It was the perfect spot to find people, who nobody would notice if they were missing. The ideal candidates to turn into vampires specifically made for slaughter.

"So now what?" Damon asked, although he already knew Klaus's answer.

"We go inside, compel the lot of them and feed them our blood and take them back to where I'm keeping the hunter. I kill them whilst you go fetch some more, compel them and feed them your blood and bring them back to our secret location." Klaus explained.

"And where is that?" Damon asked.

"Well it wouldn't be much of a secret if I told you, now would it?" Klaus raised an eyebrow and grinned as he got out of the van and took in his surroundings.

"So how am I going to be able to know where to take the next batch?" Damon asked confused, opening the door and stepping out of the van.

"Oh I'll make sure you don't remember until you are bringing me more to turn." Klaus gave a knowing smile. "Shall we?" he held out his arm in gesture for Damon to lead the way into the bar as Klaus followed him.

Kol dragged Professor Shane away from the library and followed Rebekah until they came to a door which led to a custodial closet. Kol threw the Professor inside the room, him landing in of the sets of shelves containing cleaning items, as he walked after him, followed by Rebekah.

"Kol and Rebekah Mikaelson...two members of the Original vampire family. This is such a trip." Professor Shane said excitedly, straightening himself up as he looked between the two Original vampires.

"Where's the cure?" Rebekah stared him in the eyes as she compelled him.

"Compulsion won't work. It's a little trick I picked up in Tibet." Professor Shane told them smugly.

"Right. Well, we'll just have to do this the old-fashioned way." Rebekah decided as she looked at Kol who simply smiled. "Beat him until he tells you where to find it." Rebekah instructed her brother, who's smile got menacingly wider as she left to return to check on her compelled class.

Rebekah made her way through the doors to the library. "Still glued to your seats?" she called out to Stefan, Elena and Caroline, who were all still sat around the table in silence. "Ahh, it's thick with tension in here." she said as she stopped and stood beside where Elena was sat. "Let's spice things up a bit. Elena, truth or dare?" she asked.

"We're done playing your stupid games, Rebekah." Stefan warned her in bored voice.

"Truth or dare, Elena. You're compelled. Answer!" Rebekah demanded impatiently.

"Dare." Elena said, hoping to avoid whatever Damon related reveal Rebekah was planning to compel out of her. Unfortunately, her captor was already one step ahead and ready for either answer.

"I dare you to tell Stefan the truth about Damon." Rebekah smiled slyly.

"Seriously?" Caroline asked indignantly, slamming her hands on the table as Rebekah ignored her and instead looked at Elena, awaiting her answer with interest.

Elena closed her eyes."Being with Damon makes me happy." she stated, silently praying it would be enough for Rebekah, however her hopes were soon dashed.

"Makes you happy?" Rebekah laughed at Elena's feeble attempt to find a loophole in her compulsion. "Clowns make you happy, Elena. Dig a little deeper." she compelled her.

Elena sighed. "When I'm with him...it feels unpredictable, like...like I'm free."

"I was actually hoping you'd tell us whether you think he is any good in bed?" Rebekah compelled Elena with a sly grin. "I want an honest answer about how he makes you feel when you're having sex, making love or whatever you want to call it."

"Stop!" Caroline practically screamed, once again slamming her hands on the table.

"She can't, she's compelled." Rebekah gloated.

Elena gulped. "He's amazing. He makes me feel like a woman, he knows how to make me feel sexy and how to have fun. But when we make love, he is gentle, loving and tender, all at the same time. He always puts my needs first" Elena said, lowering her eyes in embarrassment, as both Caroline and Stefan looked to their hands, to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room, but both for different reasons.

"Amazing, just as I expected." Rebekah laughed. "Although I don't quite remember the gentle loving and tender part, and I certainly can't remember him ever making love to me." she added as she noticed the nervous expression on Caroline's face. "Oh let me guess, Caroline here has also slept with him. Maybe we should start a support group. The women of Mystic Falls fucked and used by Damon Salvatore! I'd expect the membership to be a rather high number don't you think Caroline?" she laughed at her own joke. "And how good would you say he was Caroline? Did he ever make love to you?" Rebekah prodded.

"He was unbelievably good." Caroline cringed in embarrassment. "And no he never made love to me, it was just sex."

"So it seems Elena is a special case." Rebekah announced to the group. "Anyway, enough about Damon. Elena, how do you feel when you're with Stefan?" she asked.

"Please stop." Caroline begged, however Rebakah ignored her.

Elena sighed. "Lately, I feel like I'm a project, like I'm a problem that needs to be fixed. I think I make him sad, and I can't be with someone like that, because when he looks at me, all he sees is a broken toy." Elena said as she looked at Stefan sadly but he just looked even more hurt by what Elena said.

"Do you still love Stefan?" Rebekah asked.

"Yes." Elena told her whilst she looking at Rebekah, avoiding Stefan's eyes.

"Are you still _in_ love with Stefan?" Rebekah asked.

"No." Elena said quietly, she was now on the verge of tears, knowing how much she'd hurt Stefan by her words, but it was out of her control.

Rebekah turned to Stefan "Did that hurt?" she snarled at him. "Having someone you love drive a dagger through your heart?"

"Go to hell." Stefan growled back angrily, his voice thick with sadness.

Rebekah crouched down next to Stefan. "Did...that...hurt?" she demanded.

"Yes." Stefan whispered quietly, as Elena looked to the ceiling, tears in her eyes.

"Welcome to the last nine hundred years of my life." Rebekah told him mockingly before smiling, deciding now was not the time to push further and ask who was the better brother in bed, it wasn't a question she'd want to answer in front of Stefan, she wasn't that heartless. Plus he might come in useful later. However, the matter was taken out of her hands when Tyler suddenly barged through the library doors.

"Ah, good, you're here. It was just getting depressing." Rebekah smirked.

"What the hell is going on?" Tyler asked.

"Listen to the rules carefully." Rebekah told everyone "Stay in the building, no vamp-running in the hallways." she said.

"Vamp-running from what?" Caroline asked.

"Turn." Rebekah turned to look at Tyler, compelling him.

"What?" Elena cried.

"He can't, he'll lose control!" Caroline yelled..

"That's the whole point. I've exhausted all your knowledge. Now I have the professor to help me find the cure, you're just competition." Rebekah explained. "Whoever finds it first gets to decide what to do with it. Use it, share it, destroy it, save it. I want that to be me."

"But if I turn, I'll kill them." Tyler said in a scared voice.

"Yes, you will." Rebekah grinned. "Turn." she demanded, leaving Tyler no choice as she turned around and left the room.

Bonnie arrived at the school after using a locator spell to track down Shane and Kol, because she was worried about what the Original would do to him. Her only option was to put a protection spell on Shane, and for that she needed specific, ingredients, which she knew she'd find in a science lab. However, when she walked inside the only one that was unlocked, she was a little surprised when she came across April Young searching through the cupboards.

"Bonnie? How did you know everyone was here?" April asked just as surprised by Bonnie's appearance as Bonnie was with hers.

"Who's everyone? I came to find Shane." Bonnie replied confused.

"Did you do a GPS magic locator spell or something?" April asked smugly as Bonnie looked on at her in shock. "Rebekah told me that you're a witch." she explained.

"Rebekah? What the hell is going on?" Bonnie cried.

"Rebekah has Stefan, Elena, and Caroline compelled. She's getting them to actually tell the truth for a change." April told her in a judgmental tone as Bonnie frowned before walking over to one of the counter's filled with bottles and jars full of various minerals and chemicals and began checking the labels. "What?" April asked.

Bonnie turned to face April. "Shane can't be compelled. Okay? She'll happily torture him to find out what he knows." she told her as she turned back around and began her frantic search through the containers on the counter.

"What are you looking for?" April asked, realizing the severity of the situation.

"I need salt." Bonnie told her as she continued searching through the jars and containers.

"I think I just saw some." April offered as she went over to the shelf and pulled down a plastic box of salt. She opened the container and handed it to Bonnie who began to pour it into several glass measuring beakers.

"What are you doing?" April asked

"If this pendant will connect me to Shane, then I can do a protection spell." Bonnie explained. April backed up, to give the witch some space as Bonnie pulled out the necklace and began staring at it before clutching it against her chest and closing her eyes. Moments later, the beakers full of salt suddenly ignited and flames began pouring out, startling April and causing her to jump.

Elsewhere in a custodial closet in the school, Kol happily began following Rebekah's instructions on how to retrieve the infamous cure for vampirism from Professor Shane.

"WHERE IS THE CURE?!" Kol yelled at Professor Shane as he shoved the professor's head into a sink filled with water and holding him there for several seconds, before yanking the man's head back up prompting Professor Shane to desperately gasp for air. "Where is the cure?" Kol asked again, this time waiting for an answer, however the professor remained quiet, instead breathing heavily trying to recover from his under water exertion. Realizing Professor Shane wasn't going to answer, Kol smirked as he shoved him under again just as Rebekah walked in, prompting Kol to pull his head back out of the water.

"You're human. Why do you want it anyway?" Rebekah asked confused.

"That's the beauty of this. You can have it. I just want Silas." Professor Shane pleaded breathlessly as Rebekah looked on at him confused.

Kol pulled Professor Shane around to face him and held him by his drenched jacket collar. "No. What do you know about Silas?" he demanded.

"He's the world's first immortal being, who just happens to be imprisoned with the cure...and I want to free him." Professor Shane told them.

"No!" Kol said angrily as he shoved Shane under the water again.

Bonnie knew something had gone seriously wrong with the spell. Initially April had just started coughing and Bonnie thought nothing of it, however, April's coughing had begun to get worse, which raised Bonnie concerns at the severity of it.

"April?" Bonnie asked worriedly, as April grabbed her throat, as she struggled to breathe. "What's happening?" Bonnie cried panicking as she rushed over to April as water suddenly began to pour from the girl's mouth.

"Stop!" Rebekah demanded as Kol brought Professor Shane back up for air before letting him go. "He's of no use dead." she yelled.

"Did you not just hear what he said? Silas will kill us all, sister." Kol said angrily.

"Silas does not exist. He is a-a fairy-tale made up to scare children into eating their vegetables." Rebekah mockingly told her brother.

"Silas is very real." Professor Shane corrected Rebekah. "I know where he's buried, and soon I will have the spell that wakes him." he told them.

"Wait a second, you're lying. You can't get to him." Kol insisted as he looked at Professor Shane wearily.

"Without his tombstone? Dozens to die in a blood sacrifice? Believe me, I know. I've done it. Those massacres are a pain to engineer." Professor Shane admitted.

"You're the one who got the council blown up." Rebekah asked, looking at him in disgust.

"It was a noble sacrifice...and temporary, because once I raise Silas, Silas will raise the dead. He will bring back every last soul who died on his behalf." Professor Shane said manically.

"No!" Kol shouted as he picked up a thin metal pipe and shoved it into Shane's stomach.

Bonnie sighed a sigh of relief as April finally stopped coughing, and began to breathe heavily to regain her breath. Still confused as to what had happened, Bonnie helped her to her feet, hoping that April's ordeal was finally over. That hope was soon dashed as suddenly blood started to appear from April's stomach.

"Oh, my god." Bonnie cried as she realized what she'd done. The protection spell she'd put on Professor Shane had instead linked him to April. All she could do was watch as she saw April dying. To make matters even worse, after doing the spell, instead of feeling drained like she usually did, her powers felt even stronger. Bonnie looked up to the sky, hoping for some miracle to help the girl bleeding to death in front of her, which she'd caused and for someone to explain what the hell was going on with her powers.

 

 


	17. Chapter 17

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

** Warning for smut. **

Shouts and screams came from the library as Tyler slammed himself into the bookshelf, scattering books all over the floor in the process. "Agh! I can fight this!" he cried as he began breathing heavily and falling to the floor, trying his hardest to fight Rebekah's compulsion. He crawled over to a table, pulling himself up as his bones began to break causing him to grunt in protest from not being able to do anything about it. He slammed his fists on a table, as a show of defiance, but only breaking it in the process, as Caroline, Elena, and Stefan all watched on in horror.

"Get out of here!" Tyler screamed.

"Go-go!" Stefan yelled to Elena and Caroline as the three of them ran into the hallway. Stefan closed the door, leaving only the sound of Tyler's screams behind them as Caroline ran down the hallway.

"That door's not gonna hold him!" Elena told Stefan as they ran away down the hallway in the opposite direction from Caroline, as Tyler followed them, now in his wolf form. Elena and Stefan closed a set of fire doors, to try lock Tyler out, as Stefan grabbed the fire axe from the fire emergency kit and stuck it in the door handles reinforce the barrier, however, they quickly discovered it wasn't strong enough. Stefan and Elena rammed into the door which began denting and opening through the sheer brute force of Tyler's wolf strength. As they struggled to keep it closed, Elena quickly let go and ran over to a locker, ripping off the door before sticking it through the door handles. Stefan and Elena backed away from the door and stared at each other as Tyler growled through the doors. They both charged at the door, banging it shut, when suddenly it became quiet, Tyler had gone.

Rebekah was fuming with rage with her brother. They were still in the custodial closet, arguing whilst Professor Shane was still lying lifeless on the ground.

"You should be thanking me." Kol smiled.

"You killed my only chance at finding the cure." Rebekah shouted back angrily.

"Silas on the loose would be hell on Earth. Frankly, sister, I don't think you could handle it." Kol told her as he pulled out the white oak stake, flipping it around, goading her.

"How did you get that?" Rebekah asked in disbelief.

"Way too easily." Kol said as he offered a sly grin before he turned and left, walking out of the closet, as Rebekah began to follow him.

"Help! Someone help!" Bonnie called out, as she tried to help the unconscious April who was bleeding from the stomach in the identical spot where Professor Shane had been stabbed, due to Bonnie accidentally linking them. Suddenly the classroom door opened and Elena and Stefan rush into the room only to see Bonnie cradling April's limp body.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" Elena cried.

"She needs help." Bonnie begged them frantically.

"What happened?" Stefan asked as he bit his wrist.

"I did a protection spell, but it accidentally linked Shane to April." Bonnie told them, as Stefan crouched down over April.

"And you couldn't control it?" Elena looked worried about this revelation. Damon had her that warned this might happen.

"I didn't know I was doing it! Usually I feel pain or I bleed, but this time I just felt more power." Bonnie told her desperately as Stefan began feeding April his blood,

"It's okay, it's okay! You're okay, you're okay." Stefan told April softly as she woke up gasping and petrified, he held her in his arms, to try and comfort her, before turning to Bonnie. "Bonnie, get out of the school. Just be careful. Tyler's out there, and he turned." Stefan instructed.

"What about you?" Bonnie asked as she looked from Stefan to Elena.

"No, we can't leave. Rebekah's compelled us." Elena explained.

"Just go. We'll deal with her later. Come on." Stefan urged Bonnie to hurry and leave with a still terrified April. Bonnie stared back at Elena, her eyes full of concern before running out of the classroom with April. Stefan closed the door behind them and locked it, staying by the door and staring through the door window, partially looking out for Tyler, partly trying to ignore Elena.

"Stefan..." pleaded Elena.

"No." Stefan snapped back.

"Stefan, we have to talk about this. Please." Elena begged.

Stefan turned to face her. "Talk about what, huh? How many more ways are there for you to rip my heart out?" he asked angrily.

"I'm sorry." Elena apologized.

"You're sorry that it happened, or sorry that I found out?" Stefan spat.

"I'm sorry about all of it! I'm really sorry, Stefan. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't want that." Elena cried, as the the door suddenly opened and Rebekah waltzed in.

"Why are my least favorite people always the most durable?" Rebekah asked, in an annoyed voice.

"Leave her out of this Rebekah." Stefan argued. "This is between me and you."

"You're still protecting her. Must I rip your bleeding heart from your chest and show you the scar tissue that is Elena Gilbert?" Rebekah asked Stefan before she turned to Elena. "There's a solution to all your problems, you know. I could compel him. Erase every memory he has of you...every day you spent together, every kiss, every lie, every ounce of pain...I could take away every bit of love he has for you. Give you both a clean slate. Just say the word, and I'll make you and all that misery you caused him disappear." Rebekah offered, disingenuously.

"Do it." Stefan said as Elena turned and looked at him shocked.

"Excuse me?" Rebekah asked, blinking in surprise.

"Erase it all, every memory." Stefan asked.

"Stefan? No!" Elena begged.

"I said  _ do it _ ." Stefan demanded, as Rebekah stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"No. That'd be  _ far _ too easy. I  _ refuse _ to make you forget her the way Klaus made you forget me." Rebekah said to Stefan as she turned back to look at Elena. "But at least you know how he really feels." She told her before once again turning her attention to Stefan. "Consider your eternity of pain my revenge, Stefan. I've used you for all you're worth, so now, you're free to go." Rebekah smiled as she left. Stefan paused for a moment, as he looked at Elena, once more, almost as if he was going to say something, before he turned around and set off down the hallway to leave as well.

"Stefan, wait." Elena called out as she ran out of the classroom to follow him, before stopping and deciding to let him go. She'd already moved on, she knew it was time for him to also get on with his life, and her following him would just hold him back. Elena had a new life, a new love to return to, Damon was now her priority, not Stefan.

Professor Shane had survived being impaled by Kol by the skin of his teeth. The protection spell Bonnie had cast, had enabled him to pull the metal rod from his stomach and survive with all but a bloodied shirt, which was what he was in the process of changing now he'd gotten back to Whitmore College. Just as he had finished doing that, Bonnie stormed in.

"What the hell happened out there?" Bonnie shouted at the Professor.

"Turns out I miscalculated. Kol's gonna be a problem." Professor Shane said calmly as he sat on the edge of his desk to face Bonnie..

"I almost killed someone, and  _ that's _ what you miscalculated? April could have died today!" Bonnie cried, shocked by his response.

"And that's only because you didn't know the extent of your abilities." Professor Shane explained.

"My father just became mayor. I can't be out doing black magic." Bonnie whispered angrily as she turned towards the door and started to leave.

"That's not what Expression is!" Professor Shane, called out after her, prompting her to turn to face him.

"Then what is it?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"It's a way of doing magic that isn't monitored by nature or the spirits." he explained. "It isn't good or bad, but it also has no limits. So how  _ you _ use it is up to you. That's what I'm here for: to help you. Bonnie, listen to me. You are the key to everything. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." Professor Shane promised her.

Damon had already been on three runs for vampire victims for Connor to kill, who was being kept in the cattle pens on Pastor Young's farm which had previously housed Elena, Stefan and Rebekah. Klaus must have figured if it could keep an Original vampire down, it should be good enough for a hunter. Plus it had the added bonus of the vervain air conditioning, which would help keep the new vampires from getting out of hand or escaping, thus making it easier for Klaus to hand them over to Connor to kill. However the problem was that Connor wasn't being very cooperative about how far the mark was growing, which meant they needed visual help with the Hunter's Mark, assistance that only Jeremy Gilbert could provide.

"You don't need to compel me." Damon told Klaus. "I can bring Jeremy here with Elena's full consent. I'm already compelled to help you complete the hunters mark. Let me do this my way and you'll get results faster." he promised. "But first I need to call Elena otherwise she'll worry and and would end up searching for me and may end up in trouble. Don't you want to make sure all of your assets are kept safe?" he grimaced.

"Fine." Klaus grumbled before turning to Damon. "You have twenty four hours." he compelled him.

"I thought no compulsion." Damon complained.

"Let's just say it's a little fail safe." Klaus explained. "If you keep to your word, the compulsion will never need to take effect now will it?" Damon shrugged, there was no arguing against it as he'd have kept his end of the bargain either way.

Damon pulled out his phone and pressed Elena's number on his contacts. It rang only once before he heard Elena's familiar voice. "Hey." she said.

"Hope your day's going better than mine?" Damon sighed. "Gotta say, I'm liking the odds."

"Stefan knows about us." Elena blurted out.

"Ooh...How'd he take it?" Damon groaned.

"How do you think?" Elena replied sadly.

"Well, that explains the silent treatment." Damon remarked. "At least he hasn't tried to stake me yet." he added in a semi joking manner.

"How's Jeremy?" Elena asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I think he's going to be just fine." Damon told her reassuringly.

"Thanks for looking out for him." Elena said gratefully,

"Yeah, well, I'm not at the grill with him right now. But I'm still protecting him from, Klaus, so don't you worry so...Look, I gotta go, you've no need to worry, I'll be back later tonight." Damon told her.

"Not yet. Something happened today. I realized something about you...about us." Elena started to tell Damon.

"Tell me when I get back to yours. The walls here have ears. And I shouldn't be too long." Damon explained as he hung up and Klaus looked at him.

"You didn't ask her for Jeremy." Klaus observed, unimpressed.

"I need to talk to her in person and explain why I'm asking to take her brother to help you. I suspect she'll want to escort Jeremy here herself. I'm compelled, it's not as if I can just run away." Damon grimaced. "Plus I need to feed and I'm tired. I'm going to have to go further out of town to find people. My suggestion is that I come back with Jeremy and Elena tomorrow, I'll go and grab a few people while Jeremy sketches the mark and Elena watches over him. When I get back Jeremy should be done, we'll let Connor kill the vampires and see how quickly it grows." Damon suggested. "That way, instead of me doing lots of trips and hoping the mark is completed every time we get back, we can try and work out how many we roughly need and both make trips, that's if you can find another truck. Elena won't have a problem with Jeremy sketching the mark if she knows Jeremy is safe and it will save lives. This way it will be save time." he argued.

"Fair enough." Klaus shrugged. "But I want you back tomorrow, like I said in twenty four hours, with young Jeremy, otherwise I might be forced to do something particularly nasty." he smiled menacingly. "One more thing." Klaus said, grabbing Damon's shoulders and turning to face him. "You will forget where we are keeping the hunter until you are to return here with Jeremy. You will not tell anyone of the destination or directions, if anyone asks you to describe the location, you will not tell them." he compelled Damon, who looked at him blankly.

"Don't worry." Damon rolled his eyes after Klaus had finished his compulsion. "We'll be here, tomorrow and your secret is safe with me." he said as he left the Young ranch and headed back to his car.

Stefan was standing in front of the fire at the boarding house with a drink in his hand, deep in thought. He was confused by the day's events. The revelations made by Elena convinced him that the issue wasn't a sire bond, it was vampirism itself. She said she felt like a broken toy needing to be fixed, however once she'd taken the cure, that problem would be solved and she'd stop feeling that way. From the revelations, it appeared she might have been in love with Damon before she turned, the mere fact that she'd chosen himself instead of his brother, meant she must have been even deeper in love with him than Damon. He also knew that his brother had a reputation for his sexual prowess, and human Elena wasn't so shallow as to let her sexual needs be of much importance, which as a human wouldn't be as relevant, so he would have less to live up to. Taking the cure would mean Elena would turn back to her old self, he knew he'd be able to forgive her transgressions as it could be blamed on the vampirism and Damon. Getting Elena back from Damon wouldn't be an issue once she'd taken the cure, he was confident about that. However that meant he needed help in finding it, he couldn't do this alone. So he had called the one person who he believed, wanted the cure as much as he did.

"Please, let yourself in" Stefan said sarcastically as Rebekah waltzed straight through the door and into the parlor.

"You called me. Should I be checking for hidden daggers?" Rebekah asked impatiently.

"You still wanna find the cure?" Stefan asked, ignoring her jibe.

"More than anything. I want to ram it down Niklaus' throat and look into his eyes as he realizes he's mortal again." Rebekah said vengefully. "But Shane's dead, and you are useless. So, I'm right back where I started." she stated.

"Shane's not dead." Stefan informed her.

"But I watched Kol impale him." Rebekah told him, confused.

"Well, you probably shouldn't have left him alone. Bonnie did a little spell. He's perfectly fine." Stefan smiled as he poured himself a glass of bourbon, as Rebekah stood there watching him in shock.

"You didn't have to tell me that. Why am I really here?" Rebekah asked suspiciously.

"You were right. I'm going to be here for an eternity, and I will go insane if I don't know how Elena truly feels about my brother." Stefan admitted as he sat down on the couch.

"Well, if you really want the cure, you should know that Shane has an agenda, and it's a dark one." Rebekah told him. "He said he organized dozens of people to die in sacrifice, he admitted to the council explosion where twelve people died, and I'm guessing it's not a coincidence that twelve hybrids died at the hand of my brother." she added.

"Twelve...channeling the energy from mass death is used in witchcraft to perform dark spells." Stefan stood back up, frowning. "It's called Expression. Shane admitted all this to you?" Stefan asked in surprise and concern.

"Proudly." Rebekah smirked.

"Well, then, I guess we'll have to figure out how to manage him while we find the cure for ourselves." Stefan offered.

"We? There is no 'we', Stefan." Rebekah insisted.

"Listen, I hate my brother, and you hate yours. But Damon has Elena who will side with him on everything, and she has Jeremy. Klaus, has Connor and the sword, and will probably enlist the help of Damon. Professor Shane has Bonnie. You and I are the only ones left with nothing. You said it yourself, right? Whoever finds the cure first gets to decide what to do with it. So what do you say? You wanna be partners?" Stefan asked holding his hand out for Rebekah, who thought over his offer for a moment and looked at his outstretched hand.

"We have a deal." she said shaking it.

Damon was back at the Gilbert Residence after his little expedition with Klaus to create and murder new vampires. A year ago he wouldn't have given his actions a second thought but his life had changed and now he was nervous, especially when he saw Elena sitting outside on the swing, waiting for him .

"Thank god you're okay." Elena said getting up and throwing herself at Damon as he stepped on the porch. He frowned before hugging her back gingerly. "What's wrong?" she asked when she saw the blood all over his gray sweater and began examining him for injuries. "Where's Jeremy?"

"Klaus happened." Damon said sharply. "Don't worry, Jeremy's fine. He's staying at Matt's for the night, he's complaining about lack of sleep." he winked.

"What did Klaus do?" she asked worriedly.

Damon sighed. "He compelled me to find people to take to some place...for him to turn them into vampires and then give them to Connor to kill."

"Why did he ask you to do it?" Elena asked confused.

"Because he slaughtered his hybrids who were doing his dirty work." Damon explained. "He chose me because he's currently quelling urges not to kill Stefan, who wouldn't be any good anyway because he's can't compel people whilst on the bunny diet. Also Stefan told him you were sired to me so Klaus thought I'd actually want to help find the cure. I told him you weren't sired and I didn't want to help being involved in mass vampire production, so he compelled me." Damon sighed.

"How many people did you kill?" Elena asked with tears in her eyes.

"I didn't kill anyone." Damon told her. "I just went to random bars, compelled a lot of people, fed them my blood and took them back to Klaus's secret hiding place. He did the rest."

"Oh my god." Elena threw her arms around Damon again. "How many?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Around sixty, give or take." Damon said sadly. "Look. Klaus is forcing me to help get this cure for you...and he wants me to ask you to do something that you're not gonna like."

"What's that?" Elena asked.

"We need Jeremy to find out how far the mark has grown." Damon explained to an apprehensive looking Elena. "He'll be safe with me and it means that way we don't have to turn anyone unnecessarily." Damon tucked a loose strand of hair behind Elena's ear. "Look, Klaus is not going to stop until the mark is complete."

"Damon..." Elena

"Elena, I promise you it will be fine." Damon reassured her. "Klaus won't do anything to hurt Jeremy, he's too important. If you want, you can go with him, that's how much I trust Klaus not to hurt either of you, you're both too important to him. I'll go to and find deadbeats to turn, whilst Jeremy sketches the mark and then we find out how fast it's growing."

"You said he compelled you." Elena said scared.

"He only compelled me to find them and feed them my blood. I'm going to the worst bars in the area where people often go missing and picking the scum who won't be missed. But I've practically exhausted Virginia. I just want this over with." he told her.

"Okay, if you're sure Klaus won't do anything, then I'll go with Jeremy tomorrow." Elena nodded smiling, prompting Damon to sigh a huge sigh of relief.

"So, what did you want to tell me earlier?" Damon asked, changing the subject.

"It's about what happened at the school today." she replied. "And something else." she said hesitantly. Realizing this was going to be a serious discussion, Damon absently took one of her hands and began soothingly rub circles on the back of it.

"So what happened?" he asked, glancing at her before lowering his eyes to what he was doing with his hand, expecting it to be bad news.

"Hey look at me." Elena said quietly lifting his face to hers, forcing him to look at her. "It's nothing too bad, I promise." she smiled reassuringly as she took his hand between her own and squeezed it.

"Okay." he nodded. "What happened?" he asked. "I'm guessing this is something to do with Stefan knowing about us."

Elena nodded. "Someone undaggered Rebekah and Kol." she told Damon who's face became stony with anger. "Rebekah kidnapped me, Stefan and Caroline to question us about the cure, but she realized we hadn't gotten it and wanted to know why, so she compelled us to talk." Elena sighed.

"So let me guess, she found out you two split and compelled you to tell her why?" Damon asked, trying to put aside his anger at Rebekah and Kol being released by focusing on what Rebekah had discussed with the class.

"Stefan already knew we'd slept together." Elena said sadly. "I think Caroline must have told him." Damon opened his mouth to say something but Elena put her finger to his lips to hush him. "What's done is done. Everything is out in the open. But he still blamed me wanting to be with you on the sire bond." she said irritated by Stefan's stubbornness.

"Yeah, he told Klaus the same thing." Damon told her. "I wonder what it's going to take for him to understand there is no sire bond."

"I think that's been taken care of." Elena said meekly as Damon raised an eyebrow. "She compelled me to tell her whether or not I was in love with Stefan and I said I wasn't."

"I thought she was looking for the cure?" Damon asked confused.

"She got sidetracked by gossip." Elena snorted causing Damon to frown, before Elena's face became serious once more, as she took his hands in hers as she looked at him straight in the eyes. "She compelled me to tell her, Stefan and Caroline how I felt about you."

"And how do you feel?" Damon asked nervously.

Elena edged closer to Damon and cupped his face in her hands. "I was going to tell you earlier, but I just couldn't find the right moment." she told him. "I don't care what anyone says, they can blame it on me being a vampire, but both you and I know it's not. What I feel for you is the most real thing I've ever felt in my entire life. I love you Damon." she said as she kissed him chastely on the lips before pulling away to gauge his reaction.

Damon was in shock. He knew Elena cared for him, she had done for a long time, that was obvious, she'd told him many times. However, he never expected her to tell him she loved him so soon, and he knew she wasn't lying because she'd been compelled by Rebekah. All of his life, both human and vampire, all he'd ever wanted was someone to return his love and love him for who he was inside and him not just be the object of desire. When he was human women wanted him, but only for his status as the heir to a large plantation, his parents didn't love him, Stefan was the only person who'd loved him as a human. He thought that had changed when Katherine appeared, but like all of the subsequent women in his life, they never delved deeper than his good looks or his bedroom skills. Women wanted to fuck him, not get to know him. There had been women over the years who'd wanted to know him, but the initial attraction had always been his wealth, status or looks. It was never about the man Damon Salvatore. This is where Elena had been different.

When they first met she'd flirted with him, but she was only sixteen at the time. When she got to know him, she'd viewed him like everyone else, with dismay, disdain and dislike. It hadn't bothered him as he'd been so hell bent on getting Katherine back. However, things changed when they went to Georgia, Elena wanted to get to know him, understand him, and as a result they'd connected. They'd known each other over five months before there was any hint of her being attracted to him physically. She needed to see his heart before she could see his face. This was one of the things he loved about Elena, she saw the man behind the mask and she still liked him. But she no longer just liked him, she loved him.

Damon looked at her for a moment, a tear of joy fell from his eye, her words had rendered him practically speechless. He put his arms around her waist and pulled Elena in closer to him, until he rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you." he whispered, initially too emotional to say anything else.

"You're welcome." she whispered back smiling as he went to kiss her, chastely at first, but Elena wasn't in the mood for chaste. "I think we should go inside." she suggested seductively, taking Damon's hand and leading him through the front door.

The moment the front door was closed Damon picked Elena up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. As they kissed, Elena's hair curtained around them, closing them into a seemingly private world where just the two of them existed. Damon vamp-sped the up to her room and lay down on her bed underneath Elena, just to keep them locked in their own little world as they continued to kiss, their tongues tentatively exploring each other as if it were their first time. Damon however, broke the kiss off and looked at Elena in the eyes.

"You don't know how long I've dreamed of the moment you might say those words to me." he admitted. "But nothing in my imagination could match up to the real thing. I've loved you for such a long time Elena, I never really believed you'd ever be able to love me back. I'm a monster, how can you love someone like me?" he asked.

"There are two Damon Salvatore's." Elena explained. "There's the arrogant, ruthless vampire, and then there's the part who evolved from the human Damon. A guy who was sweet, tender, kind, selfless, very passionate, yet also insecure, and that is the man I see and love. I'm a vampire Damon, when I was human, I didn't get it, that natural urge to kill. But now I do and I'm not going to judge you for that, because now I know how it feels. You make me feel free Damon. This is the happiest I've been since my parents died, maybe even before then. And it's because of you." she kissed him once more, before sitting back on her heels and removing her sweater. As she did, Damon put his hands on her hips and stroked his hands up her naked waist up to her red lacy bra.

Damon sat up so he could be closer to her body as he nibbled Elena's ear, making his way down her neck, gently sucking on her carotid artery, scraping his blunt human teeth along the way, causing Elena to moan with pleasure. Elena pushed Damon's jacket from his shoulders and pulled off the bloodied gray sweater he'd been wearing as she began to roll her hips to create the delicious friction between her pussy and his crotch, where she could feel his rock hard erection through the layers of various types of cloth barriers between them.

Elena threw her head back as Damon's tongue met the lace of her bra and he began circling the areola, causing Elena's nipple to pebble. Damon switched breasts as Elena began fisting his hair, his large hands running up and down her back, pulling her in as close to him as possible. Elena pulled his head back and they began kissing once again, causing heat to pool in the pit of Elena's stomach. Damon was already making her wet with desire and they'd barely even started.

Damon undid button and the zipper to her pants and out of the corner of his eye he noticed a red color from underneath causing him to stop kissing Elena and investigate further as a smirk overtook his face. "Did I once ask for these to be put in the 'Yes' pile?" he asked as Elena nodded smiling coyly. Damon pulled Elena up so was up on her knees as his kisses made the way down to the flat of her stomach and her belly button whilst his hands cupped her fully clothed behind, massaging each buttock. Damon lay down on his back once more and maneuvered Elena so she was kneeling her full clothed pussy was above his face as he looked up at her with a devilish grin.. "I hope you're not too attached to these pants." he said as he ripped them apart, causing Elena to gasp in shock at his audacity, however her annoyance was soon replaced by moans of pleasure. Damon pulled her hips down so her pussy covered his face, he swiped her panties to one side and began using his masterful tongue, pressing in and out of her entrance, then running it up her slit and sucking on her nub.

The sensation was so intense, Elena fell on all fours, screaming Damon's name as she felt the familiar sensation of heat building up that only Damon had even managed to give her to the intensity she was now becoming accustomed to. Damon inserted two fingers inside and gently began thrusting as he continued to furiously attack her nub until she felt her orgasm build up and come crashing down in waves all around her.

"Damon, oh my god... fuck!" Elena panted, although the orgasm kept on going and Elena thought she was going to pass out from pleasure.

Sensing Elena was not going to be able to stay in position for much longer, and deciding to use her orgasm to his advantage, in less than half a second, Damon had vamp-sped them around so that he was hovering above her, he moved her panties to one side and thrust his cock, which he'd released from its denim constraints whilst he was busy tongue fucking her, inside Elena's entrance.

"Ahhhh...Damon..." Elena cried, arching her back as Damon began massaging her nub and thrusting inside her gently, allowing her to ride out the remainder of her orgasm so he could feel its power. He had to concentrate hard to prevent himself from coming as he wanted to maximize her pleasure and show her how much he loved her in the most obvious way he could. Damon began to run his hands up and down the side of Elena's body, allowing her to calm down from probably the longest orgasm of her life.

"You okay?" he finally asked as she appeared to have come round a little, before chastely kissing her on the lips, his thrusting had come to a stop.

"Holy shit Damon, what was that?" she asked wide eyed.

"That was me going about my new project." Damon smiled at Elena's confused look. "I want to get to know every square inch of your body." he told her, his voice husky and seductive. "I want to kiss it, lick it, taste it. I just want to get to know you, find out what you like and makes you happy. I want to make you happy in every possible way I can Elena, not just in bed, but it was a convenient place to start." he winked. "It's because I love you Elena." Damon bent his head down and kissed her passionately before pushing himself back up and looking down at her red panties. "These are going to have to go." he smirked as he pulled out of her to quickly remove them and enter her again once more. "I love you Elena." he whispered as he kissed her and began gently thrusting.

Elena rolled them over so that she was on top, rolling her hips to match his thrusts as she bent down and swirled her tongue around Damon's nipples, earning her a groan from him."It...should...be...me...worshiping...you." Elena mumbled before raising her eyes to look at him. "I also want to get to know every part of your body Damon. I still can't believe I can touch and kiss you, I don't think I ever will." she admitted as she climbed up his body, still circling her hips, and began fervently kissing him with a need for them to become one. Damon must have felt the same as he pulled her hips to him and rolled them over until Elena was almost on her back, but Damon had her lifted at an angle as if they were laying on their side. They both pulled each other closer until their bodies were flush together and there wasn't a drop of air between them, all the while they continued kissing. Elena wrapped her leg around Damon's calf to get more grip as their hips moved in unison. They were at an angle allowing Elena's clit to rub up against Damon's pelvis, creating all of the friction required to begin the build up of another orgasm. However, sexual gratification wasn't the priority for either of them, they were two soulmates joined together, mind and body.

Elena felt the tingling of the veins around her eyes, and suddenly the taste of blood in her mouth, Damon's delicious blood. She opened her eyes and noticed the veins protruding around his eyes. She'd never appreciated before how beautiful they made him look. Maybe it was the fact that she was no longer human and they now were both a different species, but to her he looked more beautiful than he'd ever looked before. His fangs descended and he nicked her lip, just enough for a drop of blood to appear. Their fangs retracted and they continued kissing, the small droplets of their blood combined in their mouths, mixing the blood together with their tongues to make the most intoxicating taste for them both. The taste of blood only went on to heighten their sexual desires, whilst at the same time fulfilling an emotional need to be tied together. Their orgasms began simultaneously building up quickly, Damon pushed Elena onto her back and began thrusting quickly as they both became desperate for their release. Their faces still vamped out as their desire was so intense, they were unable to revert back to their human facade.

Damon pressed his forehead against Elena's as he moved his hand to massage her clit, to enable her release. Little work was required as Elena was almost ready to explode, she felt as if thought she were burning up inside. Her body was on fire, the heat around her sexual parts was more intense than anything she'd ever known before. It was different to anything she'd ever experienced, it was a mixture of love, blood lust and sexual desire. No human would ever understand the sensation, suddenly everything felt like it was exploding, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't see, all she knew knew was the taste of Damon and feeling of him inside her, giving her the most unbelievable sensation, a combination of the most intense orgasm of her life and a need for them to both experience what the other was feeling. She felt his love through his movement and the taste of his blood. Elena arched her back, and her body became rigid, with no other method of communication left to her, she merely screamed.

Elena's orgasm was not a normal one, Damon could tell, as he was also experiencing something different. The sensations in his body were more intense than usual. The buzz he was getting from the blood lust was slightly different to the sensation of feeding, it was as if part of Elena was inside of him, setting his body on fire. Damon felt the contractions from Elena's orgasm begin to milk his cock, edging him closer to his own release. The tipping point was hearing Elena scream. He felt his balls tighten, the sensation around his eyes intensifying and the wonderful sensation of his fangs elongating in pleasure. He threw his head back as he felt the heated fluid passing through his dick, the sensation even more intense than usual. "Elena." he growled as he scrunched his face and lowered his forehead so it was pressed against hers, he shuddered as his seed erupted from him and was deposited inside of her.

Damon collapsed on top of Elena, completely exhausted, since he'd become a vampire, sex had never had this effect on him. He was experiencing the closest sensation to the exhaustion he used to feel after sex as a human, it was almost like a new experience. Suddenly Damon heard giggling in his ear, he turned his hear to look at Elena' who's face had returned to normal and she was looking at him with a huge grin on her face.

"You okay?" she asked, running her hands through his hair, as Damon lifted his head to look at her.

"Never better." he grinned as his head collapsed onto the pillow next to her.

 

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning lots of smut.**

Elena knew the sun was pouring in through the bedroom window as she woke, even though she hadn't even opened her eyes to the world. Not ready to get up, Elena rolled over only to find an obstacle in her path. Opening her eyes she looked up and saw the pale white skin and raven hair of Damon laying fast asleep on his back, his left arm tucked behind his head. Elena smiled, it reminded her of the time Damon had woken her up to take her to Chicago to find Stefan. Damon had lain there all glorious in black, looking extremely hot for first thing in the morning, although that was not a surprise, he always looked hot. However that was nothing compared to how he looked now. His face was completely relaxed with just a hint of a smile, the serious expression which usually clouded his face were gone. Instead it was replaced by an innocent boyish look, which was what she assumed must have been closer to how he had appeared when he was human.

She thought back to the previous day when Rebekah had compelled her to think back to when she'd started seeing him as her future, when she'd first began to notice him as anything other than Stefan's older and more annoying brother. It hadn't been a shock when the compulsion triggered the memory of when they danced together at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant the previous year. He'd looked amazing in his black suit, having almost every woman in the audience practically drooling over him, however it was when he took her in his arms and they began dancing together when that defining moment happened for her. For nights after, he'd plagued her dreams, in them, after they'd finished the dance, he'd taken her some place private where they'd make out, his hands traveling up her legs, but she always woke at that moment, all hot and turned on.

What had surprised her about the previous day's revelations, was when Rebekah had compelled her to remember when she first saw a future for herself and Damon, the moment she first loved him, the way someone loves their partner as opposed to a friend. She'd assumed it had been around the time they went to Denver, but the memory was much further back, back to a time when she was technically still with Stefan. It was her eighteenth birthday, and they'd been standing in front of the mirror together as he placed Stefan's necklace around her neck. Her feelings were something that had been locked away in her subconscious, and she hadn't even become aware of it herself until Rebekah had compelled her. It comforted her to think she'd finally found her way into the arms of the man she truly loved. Her and Stefan were never meant to be, and this was her proof. She would withhold this information until she needed to use it. For Damon it would be his reassurance that her love for him was real and not in any way related to vampirism. For Stefan it would be her way of telling him that her change of heart had nothing to do with vampirism but her feelings prior to her change. She suspected it was her trying to rekindle her romance with Stefan and not the vampirism which had finally opened her eyes to her true feelings for Damon. Stefan had felt childish and wrong compared to her being used to being around Damon. Human or vampire, sooner or later, she'd have inevitably left Stefan for Damon.

Looking down at him now, instead of him being all dressed in black, like he had been that day woken her to take her to Chicago, he was completely naked, just covered at the waist by the comforter, and he looked glorious. He was probably the only man in the whole world who could make a pale white chest look unbelievably sexy. Just looking at him like that turned her on. Out of curiosity, she began to wonder how he'd feel about them reliving her Miss Mystic Falls pageant fantasy, him in his suit, her in her pageant dress, maybe locked in a closet somewhere. Even better if there were people close by, or at least the possibility of them getting caught. The thought that she was going to try and persuade him to go ahead with her fantasy shocked her and turned her on even more. With Damon she could be bold and free, she was sure he'd be up for something a little more interesting. He'd told her the first time they met that she wanted passion, adventure and a little danger, well now was the time to start exploring that side of her.

Right at this moment though, she'd settle for licking every inch of his delectable chest. His nipples were looking particularly appetizing for sucking and biting. Unable to resist, Elena gently ran her hands up and down his chest, paying special attention to the area around his treasure trail, as her lips made contact with the nipple closest to her, she swirled her tongue around it, eliciting a moan from Damon's mouth, who she knew would soon wake, as she could see his dick becoming more erect by the moment, matching her own arousal as she was getting wetter and wetter for him every time her tongue came into contact with him and she could taste him, bringing back the memories of when she'd tasted his blood the previous night.

They'd discussed blood sharing and had decided the moment had to be right for them, they weren't in a casual relationship, they wanted their first time to be special as they both viewed it as a kind of commitment, although there was never any question of them being together for anything less than eternity, but the first time needed to be special and romantic. First thing in a morning in her bed was not what she considered romantic, and she doubted that Damon would either. However, she desperately wanted him, maybe a little bit more than just making love but definitely not a hard fuck, they hadn't gone down that road yet, and she was very much looking forward to it, but not now, her bed wouldn't withstand two vampires fucking with all of their might. They'd need Damon's bed for that, she suspected he'd had it built specially with that in mind. For now Elena just needed him to help her relieve her state of arousal, she suspected making him come would be enough for her right now, she'd have no problems getting off on that.

Elena moved over so that she could pay attention to his other nipple, her hands running all over his chest, loving the taste of him and just the feel of his skin beneath her fingers. Suddenly she felt Damon run his fingers through her hair, signaling he was awake. As much as Elena wanted to look up at him and gaze into his beautiful blue eyes, she couldn't tear herself away from what she was doing, he tasted too good. Elena gently took his nipple between her blunt teeth and teased it as she moved her hand down to his dick, she desperately needed to hold him, touch him, give him pleasure.

"Oh fuck..." she heard him moan huskily as she wrapped her hand around his cock and began to gently pump as her mouth continued to explore his nipples. Elena felt Damon kiss the back of her head as his free arm moved across her back and lacing his hand in hers, guiding her hand up and down his dick.

Elena glanced over at their joint effort at giving him a hand job, the effect on fueled her desire for him and getting her even wetter. Damon unlaced his fingers and ran them down her back until he came to her behind, stroking her buttocks before urging her onto her knees. Elena continued what she was doing but obliged to Damon's request, wondering what he had in mind. She didn't have to wait long as Damon licked his fingers and began stroking her pussy from behind, before inserting a single finger, almost sending Elena straight into an orgasm in the process, as he began to gently pump his finger inside of her from the unusual angle, whilst continuing to stroke her hair with the other hand.

The sheer pleasure of their activities caused Elena's eyes to tingle, the blood rushed to the veins as she struggled to keep her fangs from elongating and began to lose control. One of her canines caught Damon's chest and scratched it, causing it to bleed. Damon hissed with pleasure whilst she licked up the blood as the wound quickly healed. Damon must have understood that she might lose control and give into her desires, as he lifted her up from him at vamp-speed and was behind her within half a second, maneuvering her so she was face down into a pillow on her knees and he was perched on the bed behind her.

Damon stroked her butt cheeks before parting them and blowing into the entrance of her pussy, as his tongue followed suit, the sensation sending Elena spiraling into orbit. Unable to control the blood lust, the tingling in the veins around Elena's eyes almost matched the experience she was feeling in her pussy, her fangs now fully elongated, she was too far gone to be able to retract them, even if she tried, her only option was to bury her head in the pillow as she knew the moment she looked at Damon, she'd want his blood, but not for food, it was just for desire, if a human walked past now with a gaping wound, she wouldn't be interested, only Damon could quench her thirst. She could still taste him in her mouth, giving her a connection with him that was beyond human and every time his tongue touched her body, especially when he sank it inside her pussy, the taste of him was heightened, and it was delicious.

The heat began pooling in the pit of Elena's stomach as she felt the familiar signs pointing towards the building up to her orgasm. Damon was tongue fucking her and massaging her clit with his finger at the same time, contributing to the heat of her pussy building up to what she thought was going to be an exploding point, when suddenly Damon changed what he was doing, slipping his head underneath her and sucking on her nub as he inserted three fingers. The orgasm that ripped through her was unlike any other. Like the last time he'd used his mouth on her like this, the contractions in her boiling hot pussy seemed to go on forever, however the blood lust was making it even more powerful.

"Argh...Damon...Fuck!" Elena screamed as she buried her head in the pillow, biting and screaming as the hot spasms took over her pussy, and similar erotic sensations tingled through the veins around her eyes, lust and blood lust overtook her, until she collapsed. This time however, Damon allowed her to come down from her high before he climbed up next to her with a grin on his face.

"Am I safe?" he asked laughing as he looked at the remains of the pillow Elena had destroyed, leaving goose feathers flying around in the air. Elena laughed, realizing her face was back to normal.

"That was unbelievable!" she gasped stunned. "Did you know that was going to happen?" she asked.

"Nope." Damon replied. "That didn't happen to me the one time I tried it, but as I said before, it wasn't with someone who I had an emotional connection to. I'm guessing when you do, it's different. I just hope that's not what you were planing on doing to my neck." he frowned as he stroked his hand up the side of Elena's body and kissed Elena's shoulder.

"Of course not." Elena laughed. "I wanted to drink your blood, but the fact that I couldn't was why I did that to the pillow." she glanced over at the feathers. "But I would have bitten you." she admitted. "You made me lose control."

"Good." Damon smirked, causing Elena to frown as he pushed her on her back. "The best sex in the world is when you lose control." his voice turned seductive."But not here, your bedroom is a little too fragile." he winked as his mouth descended upon hers and they began kissing frantically. Damon rolled over so that he was on top of Elena, who spread her legs to allow him to slowly push his erect dick inside her, causing her to gasp with pleasure.

Damon was not in the mood for slow and leisurely making love. Seeing Elena go wild and all vamped out had had a significant effect on him and it was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen, especially from the position he'd been in, seeing her dripping wet pussy, and knowing it was all about her wanting him. He'd desperately wanted her for nearly a year and now she was his. Damon was particularly pleased with himself as he knew that Stefan never had the effect on her like he did. He'd overheard them making love many times, and it had seemed tame. Elena had the potential to be a wildcat, yet Stefan had never picked up on that.

So far, they'd only made love, but this time, neither of them were in the mood for it, however Damon suspected Elena's bed was not strong enough for more vigorous activities, Damon thought fast before he had an idea. Pulling out of her he picked her up and carried her over to the bathroom, placing her down on her feet facing the mirror.

"What are you doing?" she asked frowning.

"Improvising." he grinned, as he nudged her legs apart from behind her, before bending his knees and inserting his dick inside her entrance.

Elena gasped as she pushed her hips back for him to access her at a deeper angle, bending her own knees slightly, her hands gripping the vanity unit. Damon held onto her hips to ensure they were at the right angle so he wouldn't slide out as the position was slightly awkward, however the image in front of him was such a turn on that it was worth it. He began to slowly thrust, guiding her hips to meet his as they watched themselves in the mirror. Damon moved his free hand over one of Elena's breasts and began to massage it, pinching her nipple, causing it to from merely pebbling to being as hard as a rock.

The view in front of them both was as erotic as it could get. They stared into the eyes of each other through the mirror, gauging how much pleasure they were both gaining from and giving each other from what they were doing. Realizing that as amazing as it looked and felt, the position was slightly awkward and run the risk of Damon sliding out, Elena straightened out her back to make it almost horizontal and pushed her hips upwards, forcing Damon to take a couple of steps back, providing him better access for deeper penetration.

As soon as Damon thrust inside after the adjustment, Elena found she had discovered her new favorite position. The angle was perfect and he was touching inside parts of her body that had never been touched, causing her to moan loudly in pleasure.

"God you're beautiful." Damon moaned, as he moved her hair to one side and kissed her back whilst increasing the pace of his thrusting. Elena felt a small scratch where Damon had kissed her and the smell of her own blood filled the air, followed by the sensation of Damon's tongue licking the blood from the small wound he'd made on her back. Elena lifted her head as high as she could so she could see Damon's face vamp out whilst he fucked her, as all she'd wanted since she woke was to watch him come. Now however, she wanted more, she wanted him to to feel the pleasure she'd just experienced from tasting his blood. She knew he could control himself more than she could, so she didn't have to worry about him ripping into her jugular, although the thought of it turned her on even more.

Throughout all of this, Elena watched Damon's vamped out face alternating his gaze between looking at her through the mirror and watching the action of his cock himself thrusting in and out of her, whilst he panted and moaned more and more loudly. The visual of seeing Damon so turned on, the veins protruding around his eyes and the sound of his moans sent the heat straight to Elena's pussy, and the sight of his vampire features combined with the smell of blood prompted her own veins begin to tingle once again around her eyes. With all of the sensations running wild in her body, Elena knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

"Harder." she begged, as Damon bent over slightly, enabling him to reach her clit and began massaging it, whilst he upped the pace of his thrusting and Elena matched it with hers. With less warning than usual, Elena's orgasm took over and began ripping through her body. "Damon...fuck...don't stop." she begged as she began contracting around his dick, heat searing through her entire pussy, so much she expected to set them both on fire.

Damon had been holding back, waiting for her as he thrust even harder for a few seconds as her pussy began to milk his cock, practically begging him to come. His body willingly obliged as he felt his balls tighten, the veins around his eyes mimicking the heat he felt along his dick. Damon threw his head back and growled as he released his seed inside her. His head dropping so that he could look at them through the mirror, their faces vamped out as they both had an expression of unadulterated pain and bliss all rolled into one.

A few moments had passed as they both recovered from their restrained fucking before Damon pulled out of her and they stood up, Elena pressing her back against his chest whilst Damon wrapped is arms around her waist.

"I love you." he whispered into Elena's ear as he began nibbling her earlobe and kissing her neck, all the while his eyes never left hers as they stared at each other through their reflections in the mirror. Elena momentarily closed her eyes in pleasure before turning around to face Damon and cupping his face.

"I love you too." Elena smiled back as she kissed him chastely on the lips. "Can I stay over at yours tonight?" she asked.

"Sure." Damon smiled back, giving her a suspicious look. "You wanting to test the sturdiness of my bed?" he asked smugly.

"Well, I was thinking about something Rebekah said yesterday, and I think your place would be a more appropriate location to do this." she grinned.

"Rebekah?" Damon asked, suddenly looking worried.

"It's nothing too kinky." Elena laughed, realizing Damon had possibly been involved in a threesome with Rebekah and Sage and, she suspected he might be thinking she might be planning on something daring. "It was just that she reminded me of a dream I used to have about you, and I'd kinda like to act it out if you don't mind." she lowered her head, almost embarrassed to divulge her secret.

"You had a secret sexual fantasy about me?" Damon leaned back to look at her inquisitively. "When did this happen?" he asked intrigued.

"After we danced at the pageant." Elena admitted shyly prompting Damon to open his eyes wide with shock, his jaw practically dropping to the floor.

"But you were still with Stefan." he clarified as Elena nodded. "Okay, what happened in this fantasy of yours?" he asked gently, trying not to put her off whatever she was about to suggest.

"In my dream, we were dancing like we did. Then afterwards, instead of you pulling me to one side because of Stefan, you'd pull me into the downstairs bathroom, and we'd be making out whilst everyone was still around. You were stroking your hand up my leg under my dress and then I always woke up." she pouted.

"That's when you woke up?" Damon asked, sounding disappointed. "That's all that happened and it got you worked up?" Elena nodded, embarrassed. "Well if we play out this little fantasy of yours, I hope you don't mind me taking it a little further." he asked.

Elena shook her head. "That's what I'm hoping. I always woke up and never found out what happened next." she smiled demurely.

"Well, we'll take your dress to mine. We'll get the mark completed. Take Jeremy to Matt's. I'll make sure Stefan is out and we can reenact the dance, exactly how you want it." Damon said quietly as he tucked Elena's hair behind her ear, stroking her cheek, before kissing her passionately on the lips. "Time for a shower I think." he said pulling away. "You in the mood for conserving water?" he asked with a smirk on his face as he reached over and turned the nozzle for the shower.

"Did you even need to ask?" Elena grinned.

As Stefan was finishing his hair after his morning shower in his bathroom, he began to wonder if he'd done the right thing in asking Rebekah helping him find the cure. His fears were compounded when he walked out of the bathroom and into his bedroom to get a shirt out of his closet, when he heard a noise which prompted him to stop and turn around, only to see Rebekah reading his diary on his bed.

Stefan purposefully coughed, mimicking the sound of clearing his throat "I know you were, uh, daggered for a little while, but, uh, knocking is still a thing." he said sarcastically.

"So is writing in your diary apparently." Rebekah said looking up at him. "I'm just checking for doubts. You can never be too cautious when it comes to love. One minute, you're begging me to compel Elena from your mind, and the next, I'm up coffin creek with a dagger in my back." she smiled, before returning her gaze to the pages in front of her.

"Right. Well, you can read it all you want. I'm done with her." Stefan shrugged.

"Until we find the cure, right?" Rebekah asked in a bored tone before turning another page, as she was met by a wall of deafening silence whilst Stefan poured himself a drink. "Hey, I'm talking to you." Rebekah snapped as she closed his journal.

"Oh, I know you are. I'm ignoring you." Stefan smirked.

"Look, we're at a bit of a disadvantage in this whole race for the cure." Rebekah said getting up. "Team Klaus has the hunter, team Shane has Bonnie the witch-" she went on.

"If you're here to remind me of our last place status, I'm very well aware." Stefan interrupted her.

"Actually _I_ have a plan." Rebekah told Stefan, grabbing his attention."The cure is buried with Silas, that ancient evil guy my brother Kol is afraid of." she explained. "Shane was so eager to prove his existence that he gave away that he has one of the keys to resurrecting him, his headstone." she smiled smugly.

"I see. You wanna steal it." Stefan asked, impressed with Rebekah's idea as she nodded back.

"Yes, and then Team Shane will have to join Team Rebekah, and Team Klaus will be left out in the cold where he belongs." Rebekah told him proudly. "What do you think?" she asked.

"I like it." Stefan nodded. "Just one thing, how and when do you plan on finding it?" he asked.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered, its all been taken care of." Rebekah grinned.

Bonnie decided that as much as what she'd done to April had scared her, she needed help in controlling her powers. The problem was that the only person she could turn to for the help she needed, was the person who'd caused her the problems in the first place. That was why, the next day, Bonnie was back at Professor Shane's office, staring at a candle which was lit on his desk. Whatever he was trying to do, Bonnie wasn't sure was working, because she was just as stressed as she been before she got there, and Shane didn't seem to be doing much to help, he just sat at his desk, watching her whilst she tried unsuccessfully to meditate.

"You know, just because your eyes are closed doesn't mean you're meditating. Come on, use your breath." Professor Shane instructed, circulating his hands to imitate breathing, "Use your breath to calm your nerves." he added in a soothing voice.

"Great. So now, I can't even meditate right? What else can I fail?" Bonnie huffed.

"Bonnie, you didn't fail." Professor Shane insisted.

"I did an expression spell that almost killed April." Bonnie cried.

"Exactly! Almost. Failing would have been actually killing her. You got like a...D Minus." Professor Shane joked.

"It's not funny." Bonnie snapped back as the candle ignited, causing Professor Shane to look at Bonnie and then at the candle nervously. "I have all this power now, and I'm worried I won't be able to control it." she said, sounding frightened.

"Bonnie? Look at me." Professor Shane told her as he gently grabbed her hand and stared into her eyes. "I'm here with you. You don't have anything to worry about. You are strong, you are focused. You are in complete control." he said hypnotizing her.

"You're here with me. I'm in complete control." Bonnie replied, calm and relaxed, as the candle's flame matched Bonnie's mood, calming down before going out. However, immediately after that, the calm atmosphere was destroyed as suddenly the door opened and Sheriff Forbes and one of her deputies walked in.

"Sheriff?" Bonnie turned around and looked at Sheriff Forbes confused.

"Bonnie, I'm gonna need you to go." Sheriff Forbes instructed her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Professor Shane asked, surprised by the intrusion.

"We need to ask you a few questions." Sheriff Forbes informed him as her deputy took Professor Shane and pulled him to his feet before handcuffing him, as the Professor laughed in shock.

"Are you serious?" he asked. "I'm sure I can answer without the handcuffs." he told her, before realizing the gravity of the situation. "Come on, this isn't even your jurisdiction." he pleaded.

"Then, I guess we better get you to Mystic Falls ASAP." Sheriff Forbes said snarkily as her deputy dragged Professor Shane out of his office, in front of an angry and confused Bonnie.

"Wait! Why are you doing this?" Bonnie cried.

"That's something you should ask your dad." Sheriff Forbes told her before turning around and walking out of the office leaving Bonnie left standing alone, stunned by what had just taken place in front of her eyes.

Damon, Elena and Jeremy arrived at the Young farm a little just before ten, after picking Jeremy up from Matt's and dropping Elena's blue pageant dress off at the boarding house. Damon's blue mustang pulled up near the old cow shed where Klaus was housing Connor and the newbie vamps ready for him to kill. All three got out of the car to be greeted by Klaus walking quickly towards them.

"About time." Klaus said.

"Told you I'd be here." Damon grumbled. "Just let us get this out of the way so that we can go home."

"We want the same thing." Klaus smiled as he turned to Jeremy and Elena. "You will not leave this place whilst Damon and I are gone, you will not speak to Connor, even if he speaks to you and you will not remember the location of this place after you leave." he compelled them.

"I thought you said no compulsion." Damon said angrily.

"This is for their own good. Connor could trick Elena and kill her, do you want that?" he asked.

"No." Damon said quietly.

"Well then, now that that's all settled, lets be at it." Klaus turned and gestured for them to follow. "All of the facilities you require have been provided for you. Connor is housed safely, he is behind bullet proof glass, so no need to worry about him hurting you or your sister." Klaus told Jeremy. "And as much as I want the image to be perfect, please do be quick, this isn't an exam." he warned.

"Dick!" Jeremy mumbled, prompting Klaus to smile at his audacity, as Elena and Damon followed him to the entrance before they stopped due to Damon having other jobs to attend to.

"Are you going to be okay?" Elena asked, worry etched all over her face.

"I'll be fine." he reassured her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close, whilst she hooked her arms behind Damon's neck.

"You be safe." Elena whispered as she ran her fingers through Damon's hair. "I love you!" she added as she kissed him chastely on the lips.

Damon pressed his forehead against hers. "I love you too!" he smiled before he kissed her once more. "I'll be as quick as I can, I promise." he reassured her.

"You better, we've got plans for later." she said forcefully, all the while smiling.

"You bet." Damon chuckled as he noticed Klaus out of the corner of his eye approaching them, prompting Damon and Elena to pull away from each other.

"Here!" Klaus handed over a set of keys and a folded piece of paper to Damon, who unfolded it to see a list of bars. He nodded to Elena, who gave him one last kiss and headed into the cow shed to join Jeremy.

"I see you've made a plan." Damon looked at the list, which all came with directions, as they headed away from the cow shed, Damon following Klaus's lead.

"I've also upgraded your transport facilities." Klaus smiled smugly as they walked around the corner of the now blown up house to the drive where he saw a bus parked which he hadn't noticed on his way into the ranch.

"Ooh goody." Damon grimaced. "I've always wanted to be a bus driver. Do I get a ticket machine?" he added sarcastically.

"I'm taking the other van and grabbing a few people a little more locally so that I can focus on finding out how quickly the mark is growing." Klaus explained. "There's already a few in the compound waiting to complete the transition. By the time I get back, hopefully young Jeremy's artistic work will be complete and we can give Connor some more vampires to kill, I will kill the people who've been fed my blood and by the time they wake Jeremy should have added the additional markings. Those two batches should give me enough of an idea of how many more need turning." he added.

"So you're hoping that I should be able to help finish the mark with one bus load of people?" Damon asked.

"There's already thirty in the compound waiting to complete the transition. Hopefully with your hoard and mine, it should be enough. However I will let you know how many you need." Klaus informed him. Damon shrugged as he began to make his way to the bus before Klaus grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"What?" Damon asked, turning around to face the Original.

"How is it that she manages to overlook every horrific thing you've ever done? Is it willful ignorance, or perhaps something more pathological?" Klaus asked curiously.

"Some people are just more capable of forgiveness than others. Bet you score about a negative five hundred in that realm." Damon snarked.

"Come on. There must be a secret. There is no sire bond, so what is it?" Klaus probed. "She's a vampire, so it can't be compulsion. Manipulation maybe?" Damon eyed Klaus suspiciously. "What is it you say to her?" Klaus's voice sounded almost desperate as Damon realized what Klaus was really getting at, he wanted advice for his own love life. Damon had to practically stop himself from laughing before trying to give the best answer and actually try and help Klaus. Blondie deserved a taste of her own medicine after the way she'd treat Elena recently.

"I think this has something to do with a certain blonde vampire." Damon said, eyeing Klaus with suspicion. " _I_ think you murdered Carol Lockwood, and I think you're worried that Caroline's never going to forgive you." Damon smiled smugly.

"You've done worse." Klaus said to Damon in an accusatory manner.

"Debatable." Damon shrugged. "See, I don't mind being the bad guy, because somebody has to fill that role and get things done." he explained nonchalantly. "You do bad things for no reason. You do them to be a dick."

"Debatable." Klaus shook his head.

"If you're gonna be bad, be bad with a purpose." Damon shrugged. "Otherwise, you're just not worth forgiving." he added.

"Debatable." Klaus said once again under his voice.

"It's not me you're trying to convince." Damon called out as he walked off and climbed into the bus whilst leaving Klaus stood in the same spot, watching him thoughtfully.

Stefan and Rebekah arrived at Professor Shane's office just after twelve to search for the tombstone he'd mentioned when he'd spilled the beans, whilst Kol was torturing him. Rebekah had suggested that they try his office first as it was the most logical place to start.

"Well. Headstone's not here." Stefan finally said, slamming the last artifacts drawer where the headstone would fit, after they'd been searching Professor Shane's office for nearly an hour.

"Don't ripper out on me. We'll find it." Rebekah chided. "Oh, you're all bottled up. You need a release. Maybe we can find a voodoo doll or something." she suggested jokingly as she opened one of the desk drawers and began rummaging around, moving bottles and lifting papers until she came across a jar full of herbs, which looked suspiciously like marijuana. "Ah, this should do the trick." Rebekah grinned, picking the jar up and examining its contents. "Exactly what you need." she said as she walked over to Stefan, who turned to see what Rebekah had found.. "The professor's stash of herbs." she told him.

"Not interested." Stefan said as he turned back around to search through the filing cabinets for the headstone.

"What happened to you? You were so much fun in the twenties." Rebekah complained, prompting Stefan to turn back around and face her.

"I was a psychotic killer with no emotions in the 1920s." Stefan said sarcastically.

"You may have been a killer, but you were far from emotionless, Stefan." Rebekah corrected him as she smiled. "You had a blast. I know you remember." she protested his reluctance to admit how much he enjoyed their time together. "The jazz, the booze, our little table at Gloria's...Don't make me compel it out of you." she warned him.

"All right, um...I guess we had a little bit of fun." Stefan confessed looking at Rebekah straight in the eyes.

"Thank you.! Rebekah nodded smugly. "So now that we've established that fun is, in fact, possible, maybe you'd like to start having some?" she said offering the jar of herbs to Stefan, however he didn't take them. "Don't worry about the professor. He won't be back anytime soon; I made sure of that." Rebekah said sensing the reason for Stefan's reluctance might be them getting caught. Once reassured, Stefan took the jar of herbs from Rebekah's hands and walked over to the Professors desk to find something to use for them to smoke it with, as Rebekah smiled at her small victory in her quest to win over Stefan.

Back in Mystic Fall, Professor Shane had been taken to the police station for questioning. After his confession to Rebekah and Kol, Rebekah had told April about Shane orchestrating the explosion at her father's ranch. Devastated, April had reported it to Sheriff Liz Forbes and Mayor Rudy Hopkins, just as Rebekah had suggested she should. As a result, a warrant had been issued for his arrest and questioning down at the police station, which is where he was now sat, in front of a camera and the Sheriff trying to act innocent. On the other side of the mirrored glass, Bonnie was sat with her father watching the conversation take place.

"You're accusing me of orchestrating a mass murder? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Bonnie saw Professor Shane ask, looking at the Sheriff as if she were crazy.

"It's Mystic Falls. It's actually one of the _least_ ridiculous things I've heard." Bonnie heard the Sheriff say.

"He already explained this Dad. Pastor Young came to him for help. He was crazy." Bonnie protested.

"No, he was grief-stricken and Shane took advantage of it." Mayor Hopkins insisted.

"And somehow talked him into killing a house full of people? It doesn't make any sense." Bonnie said shaking her head in confusion.

"I've met people like this Bonnie." Mayor Hopkins told her. "They're fast-talking, they're charismatic, they're manipulators. They prey on the weak-minded."

"Mmm. And you're worried that's what he's doing to me." Bonnie suggested with a snide tone in her voice. "That's why you brought him in, isn't it?" she asked.

"No." Mayor Hopkins told her. "We brought him in because April Young told us what he did. Rebekah Mikaelson confirmed it. He confessed to her." he explained.

Bonnie got up from where she was sat. "I'm going in there." she insisted.

"Bonnie, no, you're not." Mayor Hopkins demanded.

Bonnie turned to face her father. "If he's gonna tell anyone what he did, it's me." she told him. "Unless of course you think I'm too weak-minded." Bonnie added sarcastically, as she stormed out of the room, leaving her father behind, before barging into the interrogation room, where Sheriff Forbes and the Professor were sat.

"Bonnie, now is not the time." Sheriff Forbes insisted as she glanced over at Bonnie who was followed by her father.

"Let her talk." Mayor Hopkins told the Sheriff who reluctantly got up and left the room with the Mayor, leaving Bonnie, who sat down in the Sheriff's chair, alone with Professor Shane.

"I Think your Dad's confused about the format of the parent-teacher conference." Shane said jokingly.

"I'm so sorry." Bonnie apologized. "Rebekah told them you confessed. I know she's lying." she explained.

Professor Shane leaned forward and covered his mouth so the camera wouldn't catch his words. "You know, the truth is, she's not." he whispered calmly, as Bonnie looked on shocked and confused.

"You what?" she asked, also covering her mouth, looking around furtively.

"I'm not saying anything whilst the camera is still rolling." Professor Shane whispered to her.

"I'll deal with it." Bonnie told him, as she got up and left the room to request the camera and sound equipment be turned off. She felt angry and betrayed by him, and she needed answers, and fast.

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning lots of smut and explicit language.**

"Told my dad to give us a minute." Bonnie said as she walked in the interrogation room and turned the camera off. "Camera's off." she added as she sat across from Shane at the table "You can talk."

"Are you sure about that?" Professor Shane asked pointing at the corner mounted ceiling camera.

"Yeah. I don't lie. I'm not you." Bonnie sneered.

"Look. I was always gonna tell you the truth. I just kept putting it off because I was worried how you'd react." Professor Shane pleaded.

"Bad. That's how I react to murder." Bonnie nodded angrily.

"I'm not a killer, Bonnie. Pastor Young was depressed..." Professor Shane tried to explain.

"I've heard this. Skip to the part where you convinced him to _massacre_ _11 people_." Bonnie snapped angrily.

"It wasn't a massacre. It was a ritual." Professor Shane told her. "It was something necessary to raise Silas and get the cure that your friends so desperately want."

"If they knew people had to die..." Bonnie scowled.

"It doesn't matter if they die. Silas will bring them back." Professor Shane smiled.

"You're crazy." Bonnie frowned in disgust.

"I'm not crazy. I'm just passionate." Professor Shane corrected her.

Bonnie stood up and leaned across the table. "You're full-on crazy." she whispered angrily as she walked over to the door and opened it.

"Do you remember our first session?" Professor Shane asked, stopping Bonnie in her tracks as she paused at the door. "It was about your grams, right?" he asked. "You thought every time you did magic you were causing her pain." he said as he turned to look at her. "Aren't you curious what's happening to her now? Wouldn't you like to see her again?" he asked as Bonnie gaped at him in disbelief for a moment. However after thinking about it, she decided to stay and hear what he had to say, so she closed the door and returned to the table and sat back down to face him.

"Go on!" Bonnie demanded.

Damon arrived at the next bar on his list which Klaus had provided him with. Walking inside cautiously, he headed straight to the bar, to look for people who might be drinking, except he found no one. He could hear music playing in the background, yet after looking around, he couldn't see any staff either. Then he noticed the smell of fresh blood, looking around he saw a giant red smear on the ground, prompting Damon to go and examine it. He followed the trail of blood until it led into a back cold storage room, where he found a giant pile of corpses in the corner.

"Something's not right." Damon muttered to himself. "Looks like I'm gonna have to find some new vampires. What a waste." he added annoyed.

"I confess." Damon turned around to see Kol entering the room with a bottle of bourbon in his hands. "I did it." the Original smiled.

"Kol!" Damon simply said.

"Damon, good to see you, mate. Sorry about the mess. Ugh, it was a little crowded when I arrived, and I prefer more intimate gatherings." Kol grinned. "We need to have a little chat. Care for a drink?" he asked as he took a sip of bourbon from the bottle.

"Look, I don't like you, so let's just cut the crap." Damon said grumpily.

"You know, my brother bragged about his plan to complete Connor's hunter's mark. I found Klaus's list and just followed you. It was easy to work out that this little bar, was next on your list. And as I wasn't driving a truck, I got here sooner." Kol bragged.

"Why? What's it to you either way?" Damon asked.

"Because, you fool, in your zeal to find the cure, you risk waking someone very dangerous." Kol replied.

"Oh...You must be talking about Silas." Damon smirked.

"What do you know of him?" Kol asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not a lot. Not my problem." Damon answered, acting more blase than he genuinely felt. He was dubious about this Silas guy and wanted to know more about him.

"Isn't it?" Kol asked.

"Uh-uh." Damon replied. "I'm just the compelled help to make sure Connor completes his mark." he snapped.

"A few hundred years back, I came across a group that worshiped Silas." Kol explained. "His followers told me that he would rise again, and when he did, he would trigger the end of all time. You know, being an immortal, you can see why I'm opposed to time's ending. So I murdered all of them. And now, here you are willing to risk raising him in your search for the cure. I can't exactly sit back and let that happen, can I?" he warned.

"Klaus is not going to back off the cure 'cause you were told one too many scary bedtime stories, you idiot." Damon protested.

"You're a smart guy. Why don't you call off this imbecilic treasure hunt?" Kol asked.

"I'm not really interested in the cure. They can shove it up Silas's ass for all I care." Damon told him. "I'm not calling anything off because I can't, Klaus compelled me."

"Well I could kill Connor. But then, I'd have to deal with the hunter's curse. And I don't particularly feel like being haunted for the next century. Better idea. I'll just kill you instead." Kol threatened.

"The Klaus will just compel another minion to do his dirty work" Damon backed away, smiling. "Look, I have a better idea. Klaus needs more than just the sword and the mark to release Silas. Am I right?" he asked.

"You know more than you're letting on." Kol said intrigued. "Continue."

"He's not going to be able to get the cure without Professor Creepy." Damon added.

"Who happens to be dead." Kol smirked.

"Um, no he's not." Damon grimaced.

"I killed him myself." Kol thundered.

"Yeah...about that." Damon explained. "He's been teaching a witch Expression, who put some type of protection spell on him."

"I know about the massacre's, he confessed." Kol told him.

Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise at that information. "Look, I can help, but I'm useless under Klaus's compulsion. Klaus can't do anything even with the mark complete. If you want my help to stop Silas from being raised, let me finish the mark, then we meet up and try to find a way to stop Klaus." he suggested. "Look, I don't want to raise this Silas guy if he's as bad as you say." Damon told him. "Plus, why would I want the cure? I got the girl, we both want eternity together. What do I get out of it?" he asked.

"I'll take your offer into consideration." Kol replied. "And yes you're right, Nik can't do anything with just the sword and map. I'll let you complete the mark, and then we'll organize a little get together. I suggest we both have a chat with our siblings to find out what they're up to, and decide where to go from there. Deal?" he offered.

"Deal!" Damon smiled as they shook hands before Kol left the bar. Damon followed him out to the truck to find Kol was already long gone. Suddenly Damon heard his phone signaling a text message, as he looked at the phone he saw Klaus's name as the sender.

_'50 more to finish the cure.'_ it said.

Smoke was hovering around Professor Shane's dimly-lit office, courtesy of Stefan and Rebekah's discovery of his secret stash of herbs. Which they'd rolled and fashioned in cigarette papers to smoke.

Stefan sighed as he walked around examining the artifacts the Professor had collected over the years.. "So much random crap in here."

"Crap, maybe. Random, no." Rebekah corrected him as she sat and watched. "Looks like Shane has a bit of an afterlife fetish. Hopi prayer feathers, the Han dynasty soul vase, and that is a Polynesian sacrificial knife. Brutal way to die, but at least you appease the gods." she explained as Stefan picked up the knife to examine it.

"Since when did you become such an artifact expert?" Stefan asked curiously.

"I enjoy other cultures, Stefan." Rebekah told him. "I know that might be hard for you to understand, considering you dated a child who only thinks about herself." she said bitterly, as Stefan smiled before throwing the knife at Rebekah, who caught it right before it hit her in the face, prompting her to laugh. "Still a sensitive subject, I see." she said as she stood up and walked toward Stefan. "Do you know why I wouldn't compel Elena from your memory?" Rebekah asked.

"Because you wanted me to suffer." Stefan suggested.

"I did." Rebekah admitted. "It's the only way you'll learn. It took me a thousand years and hundreds of betrayals to realize that love, and caring, ruins you."

"Hmm. That's awfully bleak." Stefan said dismissively.

"Quite the opposite. It's liberating actually." she admitted. "You know why we had so much fun in the twenties, Stefan?" Rebekah asked. "Because we didn't care. We just did what felt good...drinking, feeding, sex." Rebekah said seductively as she lightly dragging the knife against Stefan's neck.

"The sex wasn't good because we didn't care. It was good because you're crazy. Crazy sex is always good." Stefan whispered.

"You were hardly the model of sanity." Rebekah purred smiling as Stefan grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled it and the knife down, prompting her to laugh and at him.

"Stop...caring." Rebekah told him as she dropped the knife whilst they continued to stare at one another intently, their faces nearly touching.

Suddenly the door opened, prompting the two vampires to vanish, as a man walked in and immediately began searching for something. He started opening drawers, removing books from the shelves and even tapping the walls, until he eventually found a hidden door, opening it and revealing a large stone.

"Good. You found it." Rebekah said, appearing out of nowhere as she grabbed the man's neck, restraining him. "Question is who are you?" she asked, however the man just remained silent.

Rebekah nodded to Stefan who pulled over a chair to where the man stood, Rebekah pushed him down and he sat in it, placing his arms on the armrests. Rebekah picked the Polynesian sacrificial knife back up and slid the blade down his right arm causing a wound to open and blood trickle out.

"All you have to do to make it stop is tell me who sent you." Rebekah told the man, meeting nothing more than a groan from him, as she tasted some of the blood on the knife. "You're full of vervain, so I know you haven't been compelled." she said confused.

"Or maybe somebody compelled him before he ingested it." Stefan offered.

"He was after the headstone. We need to know who sent him." Rebekah observed.

"Okay. Fine. So we take him home, wait till the vervain is out of his system, and then compel him and get whatever information we want." Stefan suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Rebekah agreed as she suddenly heard a grunting noise, prompting both her and Stefan to look straight at the man who began spitting out blood. Stefan grabbed his face and looked into his mouth. "He just bit off his own tongue." Stefan frowned in disgust.

"So he does know something." Rebekah exclaimed, as the man suddenly grabbed the knife from Rebekah's hand and stabbed himself neck. Stefan pulled it out but it was too late the man was dead.

"I guess he was compelled." Stefan concluded.

"Was it my bastard brother or yours?" Rebekah asked Stefan.

"Maybe it's option number three. There's another team in the race." Stefan suggested. "Kol maybe?"

"Kol wants to make sure Silas isn't raised." Rebekah explained. "What would he want with the headstone?" she asked.

"To make sure nobody else gets their hands on it." Stefan offered. "That way nobody gets the cure and we can't raise Silas." he explained.

"Could be." Rebekah said thoughtfully. "So what do you suggest?" she asked Stefan.

"Take him out of the race." Stefan told her.

"And how do I do that?" Rebekah demanded.

"By taking a leaf out of Klaus's handbook." Stefan explained as Rebekah frowned, confused. "Dagger him." he smiled.

Bonnie began pacing back and forth after listening to Professor Shane's explanation, whilst he was still sitting at the table.

"You're saying if I help you raise Silas you can bring my Grams back? Don't play on my guilt, Shane." Bonnie admonished.

"I'm not playing on anything. This is the truth." Professor Shane began. "You told me what happened. Your reckless use of magic is the reason..."

"Don't." Bonnie yelled as she interrupted him.

"...is the reason those spirits are torturing her on the Other Side." Professor Shane continued, ignoring the interruption.

"Don't." Bonnie cried angrily.

"Hurting her again and again and again." Professor Shane continued, ignoring Bonnie's pleas.

"I said don't!" Bonnie shouted loudly.

"Unh!" Professor Shane cried out in pain as he raised his hand in the air. "My hand! You can't stop, can you?" he said frantically. "All this power that you're feeling, you actually like it, don't you?" he went on. Bonnie smiled menacingly when suddenly a cracking noise could be heard in the air as Professor Shane began screaming in agony.

"Look at yourself, Bonnie. Look at yourself, Bonnie." Professor Shane cried as Mayor Hopkins opened the door.

"Bonnie, what are you doing?" Mayor Hopkins cried out alarmed.

"Get...out of here." Bonnie quietly warned her father as she threw water from a glass onto the floor which suddenly turned into fire.

"Bonnie, stop!" Mayor Hopkins cried out terrified.

"You can't reason with her, Mayor. She's lost control." Professor Shane said manically.

"Bonnie, baby, baby. Please." Mayor Hopkins begged as he looked at Bonnie, before turning to Professor Shane. "Do something!" he yelled at the Professor.

"Bonnie...Bonnie, look at me!" Professor Shane called out as Bonnie glanced at him through her eyelashes. "Now take a deep breath. I'm right here with you. You are in complete control." he said, using the same words he used when he hypnotized her. Suddenly Bonnie's expression began to change as the calming influence of the hypnosis settled in. "That's it." Professor Shane reassured her as the fire disappeared and the Professor Shane looked at his hand the pain completely gone. Realizing what she'd done, a tear slid down Bonnie's cheek as she left the room.

"Your daughter...is a prodigy." Professor Shane told Mayor Hopkins. "With my guidance...she could be one of the most powerful witches in the world...But without it...she's a time bomb." he said.

After disposing the last batch of dead vampires from the now empty bus, Damon arrived back at the Young farm hoping Klaus was right about how far the mark had left to grow. Damon had brought back the fifty people Klaus's requested from his text after Damon had spoken to Kol. He'd then dropped them off for Klaus to turn whilst he burned the rest of the bodies. He couldn't wait to be out of his clothes which reeked of charred vampire flesh, and into his shower and suit to await Elena and their little fantasy later on. It was what had kept him sane all day. He made his way up to the cow shed to watch as the new vampires were sent into the room with Connor to meet their death. Apparently the mark had begun to grow quicker, although Damon hadn't been around to witness it.

As Damon entered the shed, he was greeted by Elena running up into his arms, clearly upset with all of the carnage. Damon held her close to him, and stroked her hair, trying to soothe her. He hated the part he'd had to play, but if Klaus was right and they'd gotten the right amount of people, he'd be free of the compulsion and they could get the hell out of there like he'd been promised. Damon watched over as Connor staked another vampire, who turned gray and veiny, signaling his death, followed by Jeremy quickly drawing the image on Connor's body, whilst Klaus was looking over Jeremy's shoulder.

"Is it like you remembered?" Damon asked Klaus, who turned to look at him.

"Of course." he replied, before leaving to get another vampire for Connor to kill.

"And as soon as it's complete, we can all go home?" Damon asked, as Klaus shoved the new vampire in the room with Connor, who simply walked up to the vampire and staked him.

"I said so didn't I? Klaus replied, as the vampire dropped to the ground and Jeremy began frantically sketching once more.

"How many more?" Damon asked, as Klaus rolled his eyes.

"There are five more left." Klaus snapped, clearly sick of being asked questions, so Damon turned his attention to Elena.

"You still up for our 'date'?" Damon whispered, hoping all of the bloodshed hadn't put her off their planned activities.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Elena whispered back. "I've only waited around a year to find out what happened next." she smiled, before kissing him on the lips.

"Ewww, gross." Damon heard Jeremy's voice come from where he was sat. "You guys need to go get a room." he told them.

"And you need to draw faster so that we can go get a room." Damon called back, as the last of the vampires were led to their slaughter. Suddenly a roaring sound was heard from Connor's bullet proof cell, prompting them all to rush forward to see what was wrong.

When they got there, the sight they saw came as a complete surprise as. Connor's mark began to become visible to everyone, signaling the mark was complete. It was obviously affecting Connor as he was shouting, although Damon couldn't make out whether it was pain or something else. Whatever it was, he just wanted to be out of there.

Elena turned to face Klaus. "I guess you won't be needing Jeremy now." she said.

"I guess not." Klaus smiled.

"Does that mean we can go now?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm a man of my word." Klaus nodded. "Of course you're all free to go."

"And no more compulsion?" Damon asked.

"You forgetting the location is the only compulsion that will stand." Klaus told them. "Think of it as a good will gesture and all. It is after all for your own protection. Now go." he told them as he went to take a closer inspection of Connor's tattoo. Damon, Elena and Jeremy didn't need to be told twice, as they got into Damon's car and set off back to Mystic Falls.

Kol waited at his brother's mansion, knowing that at least one of his siblings would eventually turn up. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the library, prompting him to investigate and bumping into Rebekah who was about to leave, blocking his way.

"What are you doing here?" Rebekah asked. "I wouldn't stay here if I were you, I don't think Nik would be happy about you trying to prevent him from getting the cure." she said as she pulled out a dagger covered in white oak ash and pointed it at him, Kol to stopped in his tracks.

"You'd really dagger me?" Kol asked. "If you do then you're no better than Niklaus. Daggering siblings when you disagree with them...Look at what this family has become. I mean, Elijah won't even show his face, he's so disgusted by our bickering." he said. "This cure has ruined us, and it hasn't even been found yet. Just imagine what would happen if it is."

"This family was ruined long before we knew about the cure." Rebekah argued, as Kol pulled out the white oak stake and pointed it at her heart. "Kol!" she cried, suddenly scared.

"I won't let you raise Silas." Kol shouted as Klaus vamp-sped into the room, breaking the two of them apart.

"Enough of this foolishness." Klaus demanded as he sighed and turned to his brother. "Put it down, Kol." he demanded as Kol vamp-sped out of the house, taking the white oak stake with him .

"He was going to kill me!" Rebekah cried.

"Well, then, I think you need a lesson in how to properly dagger a sibling." Klaus said patronizingly.

"Burn in hell." Rebekah shouted as she turned and left the house.

After interrogating Professor Shane, Bonnie's father decided it was time for a little chat with his daughter over dinner, considering it was getting late and neither were in the mood to cook, he opted to treat her for food at The Grill.

"I owe you an apology." Bonnie said, putting the menu down.

"You don't owe me anything. I'm not happy to be right. I'm gonna get you some help." Mayor Hopkins told his daughter reassuringly.

"Help? Dad, I'm okay." Bonnie said confused.

"Are you kidding me?" Mayor Hopkins said in surprise.

"I got angry, I admit, but I knew what I was doing." Bonnie admitted.

"You lost control, and Shane said... " Mayor Hopkins began.

"Didn't we just establish that we couldn't trust him? He trying to get under your skin." Bonnie frowned.

"The only thing that got under my skin is what I saw, which is my daughter using dangerous magic! And the fact that you don't think you need help means you need it even more " Mayor Hopkins told Bonnie, who suddenly became quiet, realizing that maybe her father had a point.

Rebekah was stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom as she sipped a cocktail, when suddenly the door opened and Stefan walked in.

"Sure. Just barge right in." Rebekah complained

"Oh. I thought not knocking was our thing." Stefan said sarcastically. "You didn't dagger Kol."

"Well, the white oak stake pointed at my heart made things a little difficult." Rebekah said as she removed her earrings. "I do believe my brother Kol has finally lost his mind."

"So where'd you put it?" Stefan casually asked.

"The headstone?" Rebekah answered.

"Mm-hmm." Stefan replied.

"Some place safe." Rebekah smiled.

"Wasn't really our deal." Stefan said as he walked over to her.

"Well, considering that you've betrayed me twice, and I've betrayed you never, I think I'm acting prudently. Especially since we have no idea why that guy was looking for it." Rebekah told him. "Did you work things out with Elena?" she asked.

"Do you care?" Stefan replied.

"Nope. Just trying to figure out why you're here." Rebekah explained.

"Do you even have to ask?" Stefan, asked seductively.

"No feelings, no attachments." Rebekah stressed.

"None...whatsoever." Stefan said as he leaned in to kiss her.

Elena felt nervous as she left the guest bedroom to follow through on the sexual fantasy of re-enacting the first Miss Mystic Falls pageant, except this time it was taking place at the boarding house with no other guests. Damon had gone to some trouble to get small aspects right, he'd managed to find Within Temptation's 'All I Need', to ensure they danced to the same music. He'd even gotten someone to record her introduction exactly as it was the first time. He'd even reassured her he'd try to get hold of Stefan to make sure he didn't come back and interrupt them, although he'd yet to confirm to her whether he had or not.

Finally her hair and make-up was ready, dressed in the original blue satin dress she'd brought over that morning, she was even wearing the same underwear as she did at the pageant, just for authenticity. However for some reason she was nervous and she didn't know why. She'd already spent many hours in bed with Damon as they'd explored each other's bodies, and Damon had made it abundantly clear he liked the idea of acting out sexual fantasies, so she shouldn't be worried about that. But for some reason she felt just as nervous as the first time around.

As Elena appeared on the hallway near the top of the stairs, she heard Boccherini's Menuet Celebre playing, exactly as it had done the day of the pageant.

"Miss Tina Fell, escorted by Mr Bartholomew Whitmore" Mayor Richard Lockwood's voice called out through the speakers followed by the noise of people clapping, surprising Elena. She wondered how Damon had managed to get someone with a voice that had such a likeness to the long deceased Mayor.

"Miss Caroline Forbes and her escort, Mr Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." Mayor Lockwood announced, taking Elena's mind back to the day itself, Caroline wasn't a vampire, Jenna, John, Ric and Anna were still alive, and Stefan was about to attack Amber Bradley in the woods. A wave of sadness momentarily washed over her, however she pushed it to on side, and remembered that she needed to check with Damon where Stefan was to make sure he didn't disturb their little fantasy.

"Miss Elena Gilbert, escorted by Mr Stefan Salvatore." Mayor Lockwood's voice rang out followed by clapping, as Elena reached the top of the stairs, only to initially find nobody waiting for her. Suddenly Damon appeared at the bottom of the stairs, looking exactly the same as he had the day they danced at the pageant, only this time, instead of being shocked by his appearance, he instantly took her breath away. Elena descended the stairs and took Damon's hand as he led her to the parlor.

"Where's Stefan?" she asked, a sudden sense of deja vu hit her, she was sure those were the same words she'd used at the pageant, only this time it was for a different reason.

"I don't know." Damon replied. "I tried calling him but he's not answering his phone." he added as they took their place and the music changed signaling the beginning the official pageant dance.

"So what do we do?" Elena asked curtsying as Damon bowed.

"Right now, we just have to have to get through this and hope we're not interrupted." Damon said through gritted teeth. "Remember to stay in character true to how you were back then." he reminded her. "It makes it even more fun." he winked as they began to dance, hands not touching as per the rules of the intimacy of the near touch.

The first time she'd danced this dance was in rehearsals with Stefan and they'd never taken it seriously. Stefan was high on human blood, even though Elena was unaware at the time, plus he was drunk. When she'd danced with Damon the first time, she had realized there were sexual undertones to the dance, it had hit her the moment he took her in his arms and the world fell away as if it was only them and the way he'd made her feel...as if it were the first time a man had lain a hand on her.

This time she felt it even more. This was their story, for so long they'd skirted around each other, illicit thoughts of one another. No matter how much they wanted to be together, their friends and families would frown upon it. But when he took her in his arms, everything faded away and they no longer cared what the outside word thought of their love. As Damon took her in his arms and waltzed her around the parlor, he pulled her slightly closer than he did the first time and his fingers caressed her back a little more intimately, as they gazed into each other's eyes, giving Elena goose flesh, even though she wasn't cold.

As the dance ended, they separated, and Elena once again curtsied whilst Damon bowed back, when suddenly he looked as if he'd heard something. He picked up the remote for the sound system and turned the music off, grabbing Elena by the elbow he began leading her out of the parlor with urgency.

"What's going on?" she frowned confused by Damon's behavior, considering she hadn't heard anything herself.

"Come with me." he said, his face suddenly serious, causing Elena to begin to think something was seriously wrong, which she found disappointing as she felt this was a one off opportunity to relive that moment they'd shared and up until Damon's change in demeanor, it had been going perfect.

"Where are we going?" she repeated, panic encroaching into her voice as they quickly walked down the hallway.

"In here!" Damon said as he suddenly pulled her through a door which she instantly recognized as the small downstairs bathroom, which simply contained a toilet and a vanity unit with a large mirror.

"What are we..." Elena began, but her words were cut off as Damon wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in close to him and fervently pressed his lips against hers, as she realized it had all been an act, he'd been so convincing he'd had her fooled, prompting her to smile into his kiss. Elena wrapped her fingers around the back of Damon's neck, running her fingers through his raven locks.

As Damon pulled their hips together, Elena could feel Damon's erection through his trousers, sending heat pooling to the pit of her stomach. Elena wondered if this was how he felt the first time, but she couldn't ask, their mouths were too preoccupied, as their tongues danced to something a little more intimate than the near touch. Damon backed them up so Elena was leaning up against the vanity unit, she perched her leg on the toilet behind him to help her balance. Damon began kissing her jawline, the move allowing him to pull away slightly so he could slip his hand under her dress and stroke her ankle.

Damon's mouth continued making it's way down her neck, reaching Elena's jugular, gently scraping against it with his blunt teeth before he sucked the highly sensitive spot and licking the area, mimicking the act of biting and feeding. Meanwhile his hand slowly and sensually crept it's way up the back of her calf and to her knee, causing Elena to elicit a moan of pleasure.

"No vamping out!" Damon commanded in a whisper. "Remember you were human at the time." he reminded her as his hand slowly began to slide up Elena's thigh.

Elena realized that her fantasy was now being re-enacted in full, this was almost exactly how Elena had imagined it, however, in her dreams, she would never get any further, instead she would wake up all hot and bothered. Right now she was even more wet and turned on than any time she'd experienced when she'd woken from her dreams. Deciding it was time for a little exploration of her own, Elena reached for the front of Damon's expensive black suit and gently made her way down so she could feel his erection through the material with her hand. Once she found it, she was able to make out that he was unsurprisingly, already hard, so she began to stroke his cock, prompting him to moan with pleasure. Not one for being outdone when it came to giving pleasure, Damon's hand slid from the outside to the inside of her thigh and then began to touch the outside of her panties.

"Fuck...Elena...You're already wet." he mumbled between kisses as his fingers stroked the outside of the damp fabric.

"No more wet than I was last time we danced." she moaned as Damon's fingers began circling the outside of her clit through the satin crotch of her panties. Elena pulled down Damon's zipper and her hand found its way inside so she could stroke his dick through his boxer briefs, causing Damon's eyes to roll to the back of his head.

"What do we do if Stefan finds us?" she panted, deciding to up the realism, although there was a genuine chance he would hear them if he walked into the house.

"As long as he doesn't want to join in, I don't care." he said breathlessly as he kissed her mouth. "I've done a lot of things in my time." he mumbled between kisses. "But that a little too kinky, even for me. Plus I don't like to share." he whispered.

Elena moved her hand into the waistband of Damon's boxer briefs and pulled out his very erect cock and began pumping it, as she took in how hot he looked, all decked out in his suit with just his dick completely visible and standing to attention. She thought she was going to come just at the sight of him dressed, or rather, slightly undressed and looking all disheveled like he currently did.

Damon slid Elena's panties to one side and began stroking her clit before he decided she was damp enough for him to use his fingers inside her. He'd not told Elena, but this had also been one of his secret fantasies. He'd also wanted to relive the moment and then some, which was why he'd compelled Richard Lockwood to record his script before he died, so that Damon could remember what happened with precise detail and use his imagination to fantasize about the rest, which included them fucking in one of the bathrooms. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever expect it to become a reality, and none of his dreams had lived up to being close to the real thing.

"Fuck me Damon." Elena whimpered, she desperately needed him inside of her.

"I can't." Damon replied. "I have to taste you first." he said as he got down on his knees, lifting up her dress to reveal white satin and lace panties with matching suspender belt against the caramel tones of her skin.. "Holy shit!" he cried. "So pure and virginal, I like it." he smirked as he licked the outside of the fabric. "And so going." he added as he hooked his fingers around the waistband and removed them. "Although I do like idea of you having an angelic side." he added before nudging Elena's legs apart and licking her slit. "Mmm hmm." he moaned as Elena purred with pleasure.

Elena looked down as she held her dress to see Damon's mouth on her pussy as he lifted his beautiful blue eyes to meet hers, causing her to almost come at the sheer sight of him. She watched him spread her nether lips before he began to tongue fuck her, whilst still on his knees, Elena grabbed his hair with one hand and ran her fingers through it, trying to hold onto her sanity but it wasn't working. Just the sight of him and the thought that anyone could walk into the house at any minute and catch them was ready to send her crashing over the edge. Damon realizing what she needed quickly latched onto her nub at vamp-speed, and inserted his fingers, creating an intense orgasm to flow through her body. Every part of her pussy was burning hot, her contractions were as powerful as any she could remember, and Damon had managed to find a way to keep her orgasm going for longer to enable him to stand up at vamp-speed and insert himself into her, so he could feel the last remnants of her spasms around his cock. Elena gasped as his dick filled her pussy to the hilt, whilst he lifted her onto the vanity unit and began thrusting until he felt the spasms subside.

Momentarily Damon slowed, to enable Elena a moment to recover, as she could feel her orgasm die away, but that was all he gave her. He was in desperate need to come himself, and he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer as his erection was almost becoming painful. He knew he couldn't use vamp-speed fucking because it would have seriously hurt human Elena, and for the moment, they were pretending she was still that girl from almost a year ago, so instead he'd have to resort to human strength, because fucking is what they were doing. They were re-enacting a real experience adding in the fantasy of having a sordid tryst in a bathroom in the middle of a party whilst she was dating his brother. There was nothing romantic whatsoever about it. It was meant to be dirty and illicit, which was why they were both almost fully clothed, although he had managed to pull his trousers and boxers down whilst when was busy attending to Elena's dripping pussy. Now he was stood, as he once again began thrusting inside Elena, her legs around his waist, one arm around his neck, her hand running through his hair, and the other massaging one of his butt cheeks as she pulled him in closer, thrusting her hips in time to match his.

"Oh my god Damon, fuck me." she cried as she tightened her legs to pull his hips closer to her. Damon held onto her lower back so he could tilt her hips to find the perfect angle, allowing Elena to move in unison with him as he upped the pace of his thrusting.

Elena had had only a few seconds to recover before Damon increased the pace once again, and she could tell he wasn't far from his own release. She glanced down and saw his cock thrusting inside of her, causing her stomach to lurch and the heat beginning to quickly pool once more. Another orgasm was building up, almost immediately after the previous one, she'd never had them this close before. But the sight of Damon fucking her increased her arousal tenfold. She glanced up at Damon who'd was also taking in the imagery of their carnal actions, before he raised his eyes to hers and his mouth attacked hers with passion, ferocity and lust.

"Don't stop Damon...Don't stop." Elena cried as Damon pulled away from her mouth and rested his forehead against hers. "I'm...gonna...come!" she gasped.

He moved his hand down towards Elena's nub and began to circle it, sending Elena spiraling as she cried out, arching her back, her body going rigid as red hot spasms burnt right through her pussy, her nails digging into Damon's backside as she felt a wetness under her fingernails and the smell of his blood filled the air.

"Oh yes...God Elena... fuck...that feels so good." Damon panted. "Fuck!." Damon growled as he felt Elena's orgasm contracting around his cock, his insides heating up, as his balls tightened and he felt his seed flowing hot through his dick as it spilled inside Elena, prompting him to moan with pleasure and scrunch his face up in blissful agony. Elena pulled Damon closer with her legs, so she could keep the feeling of him him inside her for longer, he as he finally collapsed and lay his head into the crook of her neck, as his dick softened.

"That was so much more fun than the first time around." Damon whispered breathlessly into Elena's ear.

"Who thought re-living moments from our past could be so much fun?" Elena murmured as she rested her head against his.

"You don't by any chance still have that costume from the frat party?" Damon asked as he lifted his head back up and turned to look at her with a smirk on his face, before pulling out of her, as they had almost recovered from their activities, prompting Elena to laugh.

"Of course." Elena looked at him suspiciously. "How realistic do you want to make it?" she asked curiously.

"As far as you're willing to take it." Damon answered with a glint in his eye. "But let's wait until this cure business is settled first and then we can decide what you want." he added, as he kissed Elena chastely on her forehead and smiled before pulling up his trousers and boxer briefs.

  
  


 

 


	20. Chapter 20

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Elena woke, although she didn't initially open her eyes, to the most wonderful feeling of sensual wet kisses being placed down her throat, interspersed with the occasional ear nibble, a strong arm around her waist, pulling her into a solid wall of muscle and something very hard and persistent poking in her back. The combination of sensations sent heat pooling to her groin as she knew there could only be one culprit.

"Morning sunshine." Damon whispered into Elena's ear, causing her to moan with pleasure as he bean drawing circles around her hips, each one lower than the last.

"Damon." Elena breathed, as Damon cupped her pussy. Elena lifted her leg to allow Damon's hand greater access as he gently began circling her clit before slipping his finger into her folds and probing her entrance.

"You're so wet already." he whispered back, huskily, as Elena turned her head and snaked her arm behind her back and around the nape of Damon's neck, grabbing him by the scruff of his hair and pulling him into kiss her.

Elena pulled away from their kiss. "You do that to me." she whispered seductively as she reached behind and gently took hold of Damon's length and began pumping it, before maneuvering him so he was gliding against the slickness of her entrance from his position behind her. Hissing with pleasure, Damon suddenly flipped Elena over so she was on her back, her legs over his shoulders with his head between her legs.

"I'm gonna make you come so fucking hard, all of Mystic Falls can hear you scream my name." he growled as blew open her folds and circled his tongue around her entrance, then slowly up her labia and teasing her nub. "God you taste better than human blood straight from the vein." he murmured.

A few weeks ago that comment would have disgusted Elena, instead now it sent heat straight to her pussy. Damon inserted two fingers, began pumping them, whilst he expertly lathered his tongue around her labia and circled her nub with his other thumb. The triple sensation caused Elena to buck her hips as it became almost too much. The burning sensation she'd become so familiar with over the last few weeks went straight through her pussy as she shattered into a million pieces. Not prepared to give Elena time to recover from her earth shattering orgasm, Damon flipped her on her stomach and lay her flat to the bed as he pressed his weight on top of her.

"You'll like this." he whispered in her ear, Elena could practically hear the smirk in his voice as she turned her head to the side, allowing Damon to sweep her hair out of the way so they could lie cheek to cheek. Damon inserted himself from behind causing Elena to almost immediately orgasm once more at the sensation of his cock entering her.

Damon wasn't joking when he said she'd like the position, although it was slightly awkward and didn't allow for vigorous thrusting, the angle more than made up for it. Heat began pooling up in Elena's stomach, she knew she was close, but she wanted more, she wanted to feel Damon's power, she wanted his teeth inside her too.

"Bite me." she panted. "I need your fangs inside me too." she begged.

"You want to do this now?" he asked.

"It might be our last chance." Elena said sadly.

"Well fuck if I'm not going to make sure we do this right." he said as he pulled out of her, picked her up and carried her to the the edge of the bed.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked quizzically.

"You'll see." Damon told her as he took the large mirror and place it strategically opposite where Elena was sat, before he sat next to her and urged her to stand up. "Come here." he demanded as he turned her to face the mirror and pulled her backwards so she was straddling him, before placing his hands on her hips and gradually sliding her down onto his length so his chest was pressed up against her back.

Damon tucked Elena's hair to one side, exposing her neck so they could both be visible through the mirror. With one hand he began playing with her nub as she gently circled her hips whilst he thrust up inside of her. Once again, Elena felt the heat of an impending orgasm building up inside her, waiting to rip her to pieces. But Elena wanted him to bite her first so she leaned back against him, giving Damon the perfect angle to enable him to bite into her jugular. Elena saw his the veins around his eyes emerge from his face and his fangs elongate. Damon licked a line up her neck, preparing her for what he was about to do, she shivered with excitement.

Suddenly Damon dropped his head and his teeth pierced her skin. Initially there was a sharp scratch before she felt the first pull and it was incredible. Her orgasm was no longer concentrated in her pussy, there was heat in every vein in her body, albeit not as intense, but if it were she'd have been immediately unconscious. Damon allowed a little blood to dribble from the wound in her neck, the scarlet droplet running down her chest and over her breast. The sight of the blood triggered Elena's eyes to tingle and the sensual feeling of her fangs elongating. As soon as Damon saw this through the mirror he moved the arm that was not busy playing with her nub, around her body, he held out his wrist and offered it to her, nodding as best as he could, as if telling her to bite him, Elena didn't need to be told twice.

As soon as Elena bit into Damon's wrist, her pleasure became intensified, Damon moaned from behind as she began to suck on the delicious nectar coming from Damon's veins. The sight of them in the mirror, her circulating her hips, grinding on top of Damon's cock, him playing with her nub and them both fully vamped out and fangs diving deep into each others bodies, with the mere trace of blood flowing down her body was too much and the convulsing started. First it began in her pussy before beginning to work it's way all around her body. Elena suddenly got and urge to tell Damon how much and how long she'd loved him, to reassure him that he had been the one for a long time, but her mouth was lost in taking his blood and suddenly everything went dark and the sensation stopped.

Elena managed to open her eyes to try focus on what was happening, but everything was still dark. Had Damon taken too much blood? She wondered. Her question wasn't answered conclusively even when her vision did start to clear. Elena was in Stefan's bedroom, watching herself getting ready, the other her was dressed in a short white summer dress, which Elena recognized as the one she'd worn on her eighteenth birthday. Elena watched herself standing in front of the mirror, whilst Damon was leaning on the door frame behind the other her in a dark blue shirt, his hair a little longer, looking, as usual, like an Adonis.

" _ Don't worry I'm not gonna lose it. At least not before the cake." Elena heard herself say and the vision of her turned to Damon. _

"What are we doing here?" Elena heard Damon's voice whisper in her ear as she felt his arms loop around her waist. Looking down she could see she was wearing exactly the same dress as the vision of herself in front of her and the arms around her middle were covered in the same blue shirt as the Damon in front of her.

" _ It's your party, you can cry if you want to." said the other Damon as he picked up the picture of Stefan and Elena before walking to her other self. "Ah, Stefan. Such a pack rat." he complained. _

"When Rebekah compelled me, she forced me to remember the moment when I first fell in love with you." Elena whispered as she turned to look at Damon behind her who looked at her wide eyed with shock.

" _ I got you something. I know I promised not to buy you anything so don't worry. I didn't pay for it." Elena heard the other Damon say in the background. _

" _ You stole it?" Elena said as Damon stopped in front of her, they were just inches apart. _

"This is when you fell in love with me?" Damon whispered in her ear as Elena nodded, turning back to continue watching the scene unfold in front of them as she rested her head in the crook of her Damon's neck.

" _ No!" he said indignantly as he held up a little box. "Found it." he opened the box which contained Elena's necklace which Stefan had given to her.  _

" _ My necklace. I thought I'd never see it again." her other self gasped. _

"All this time?" Damon asked in surprise.

" _ Alaric found it in his loft, thought you'd be happy to have it back." Damon from the vision told Elena. _

" _ I am happy, Thank you." the other Elena said. _

"Yeah." Elena admitted. "I just never realized. I guess I didn't truly understand what real love actually felt like until I found you." she smiled.

"You're welcome." both Damon's said simultaneously causing Elena to laugh.

" _ Can you?" Elena in the vision asked. _

" _ Absolutely." the other Damon replied as they watched the other Elena turn around, as Damon put the necklace on her whilst she pulled up her hair. He fastened the necklace and Elena turned around as the other Damon offered his arm to her. _

" _ Shall we?" he asked as Elena took his arm and they walked out of Stefan's room. _

Elena turned to face Damon and cupped his face in her hands. "I love you." she said as she closed her eyes and kissed him on the lips. Suddenly Elena felt the familiar build up to an orgasm, she opened her eyes and they were back in Damon's room, both staring at each other in the mirror in adoration, their faces no longer vamped out, nor were they taking blood from each other. Damon quickly pulled her off of him and gently threw her backwards onto the bed as he jumped on top if her, hovering for a moment, blood at the corner of his mouth making him look delectable. He stared at her in wonder for a moment before he pushed his length inside her and began kissing her.

Their thrusts became more passionate, almost violent, yet there was a hidden tenderness. They'd just shared an incredibly intimate moment, which nothing could compare and it was sending them both into a sexual frenzy of need, want and desire. Elena wrapped her legs around his waist and cupped his ass, digging her nails in causing him to hiss.

"Elena...yes...fuck...yes..." he panted.

"Damon...more..." Elena cried as her insides suddenly felt on fire. "I'm gonna come soon." she panted as Damon reached down and began circling her clit with his talented fingers. No sooner as he'd touched her, her orgasm ripped through her body. She went rigid and her back arched. "Fuck...Damon..." she tried to scream but no noise came from her mouth as wave after wave of white hot spasms continued to pass through her pussy. Her orgasm must have triggered Damon's as she saw his face scrunch up.

"Fuck...Elena..." he cried as he thrust deeply into her before he stilled and shuddered, as she felt his hot seed spill inside her, before her own contractions subsided, and he collapsed on top of her in the way she loved whilst his dick softened.

After a minute of recovering, Damon finally pulled himself out of Elena and pushed himself into a sitting position against the headboard, as Elena turned to look up at him before she scuttled between his legs and lay her back against his naked chest whilst he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I can't believe it happened so long ago." he said in shock.

"I wanted to wait until the right moment to tell you." she said as she absently laced her fingers through his. "I just didn't know that the blood sharing would conjure up something like that." she sighed. "Did you?" she turned to look up at him, as he shook his head.

"Nope, it's the first time I've done it properly too." he said, as he kissed her on the head. "You couldn't have picked a better time to tell me." he whispered into her ear as he nibbled on her earlobe and growled.

"At least now you know that me becoming a vampire had nothing to do with my feelings for you." she told him. "All it did was give me the confidence to admit to them. So you have no need to ever worry about me going back to Stefan. I want a future with you Damon, I want us for eternity."

"That's what I want too." he mumbled into her ear before sighing. "Which brings us to the subject of the cure."

"Do we have to?" Elena complained.

"I promised Kol." Damon told her. "Don't worry, I've got a plan all worked out."

"Go on." Elena eyed him suspiciously.

"We make everyone think we're searching for the the cure, we lead Kol to it, and if Kol gets to Silas he kills him and saves the planet, or he fails, then we get the cure, Silas kills Kol and have to deal with Silas. I guess that's kind of a win win." he said nonchalantly.

"And how do we do that?" Elena asked skeptically.

"We get Bonnie to lock Klaus away with one of her magic spells, we dagger Kol to make everyone think we're getting him out of the way, but as soon as we leave, Jeremy removes the dagger and he follows us with the picture of the map that Jeremy drew and the sword. We get Kol to tell us where Connor is and that becomes our leverage." Damon explained.

"And Jeremy?" Elena asked.

"As soon as the dagger is out of Kol, he stays with Matt. I don't want him near Klaus until we're back." Damon told her. "I say we get showered, you go home whilst I wait for the prodigal brother to return, see if I can find out what he's up to and where he was last night. In the meantime I want you to arrange a meeting with me, you and Kol this afternoon at the motel on the outskirts of town." Damon told her.

"And after we meet Kol?" Elena asked.

"It's a surprise." Damon kissed her neck. "C'mon, shower time." he demanded as they both got up and made their way into the bathroom.

Stefan woke up, initially confused, not recognizing his surrounding, until he noticed a woman's arm wrapped around him, then he remembered the previous night of crazy sex with Rebekah. As much fun as it had been, he wasn't proud of himself, he wasn't like Damon, prone to one night stands, however it was the first time since, well Rebekah, that he'd been able to enjoy sex in it's pure vampire, animalistic form. It certainly wasn't something he'd be willing to explore with Elena, especially once she was human again, Elena wasn't exactly the adventurous type in bed, but he didn't care, sex and love were not the same thing, anyway, he hoped to be taking the cure himself, he needed this one last blow out. Knowing people would be wondering where he was, he decided that he'd leave and talk it over with Rebekah the later, they'd agreed no strings, so she'd understand. He slowly removed her arm, gets out of the bed and quickly put his on clothes at vamp speed, he picked up his jacket put it as he opened the door to try and sneak out, however Klaus was standing on the other side with a huge smile on his face.

"Leaving so soon?" Klaus asked, his voice waking Rebekah as he walked in, whilst Rebekah angrily got out of bed and put her robe on.

"This is my place, Nik, and I don't appreciate you invading my privacy like some kind of creeping Tom." Rebekah snapped at him.

"Well, I apologize for breaking up this sordid little tryst, but I do have some urgent business. Or have you forgotten – our paranoid brother Kol is running around with the white oak stake and homicide on the brain?" Klaus asked, still highly amused with his discovery.

"He tried to kill me last night. I didn't forget." Rebekah told him.

"Yes, well, unfortunately he seems to have absconded with my set of daggers." Klaus's face dropped, all trace of amusement gone.

"Oh, poor Nik. How ever will you get your way without your precious daggers?" Rebekah said sarcastically. "They were so handy when you wanted to end a conversation with one of us!"

"Kol's irrational fear of Silas has pushed him over the edge. We need to put him down before he does any more damage." Klaus warned her. "Now, I know you have the last dagger, and I know you have some white ash, so hand it over."

"Mhm, and leave myself unprotected?" Rebekah practically laughed in his face. "You can file that request under 'no chance in hell.' Be gone by the time I have showered. Lurkers aren't welcome here." Rebekah waltzed of into the bathroom for a shower.

"I need that dagger, Stefan. Talk some sense into her." Klaus whispered to Stefan.

"Why don't you talk some sense into her? I'm headed home." Stefan cocked his head before walking out of the door.

"Wait Stefan." Klaus called as Stefan turned to listen. "If you let Kol roam free, as a Bennett witch is the key to unlocking the spell to release the cure, then young Bonnie won't live to graduate, and we can kiss the cure goodbye. But if you help me dagger Kol, Bonnie will live, and we'll all be on our merry way to a human Elena." Klaus suggested.

"Hmm." Stefan said. "I'll think about it." and with that he walked out of the room and headed home.

As soon as Elena got home she checked the motel had plenty of rooms available before asking Jeremy to borrow his phone as he had Kol's number. She sat on her bed and waited as Kol answered after five rings.

"Jeremy Gilbert. Nice to see I'm still on your speed dial, mate. Hey, you want to meet up at the batting cages in Denver?" Kol said as he answered the phone.

"Actually, it's Elena Gilbert." Elena told him.

"What a treat. How can I help?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you...in person." Elena whispered. "It's about Silas."

"You want to talk about Silas?" Kol sounded as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Damon wants all three of us to meet at the motel on the outskirts of town at one. Is that good for you?" she asked.

"I guess it is. Why is he not calling me himself?" he asked.

"He's spying on Stefan." she admitted. "I've been left to call you and to book a room for us all."

"That sounds a little kinky darling." Elena heard Kol sneer. "Although I suspect that's not quite your thing, mind you, I do believe your boyfriend has indulged in the occasional threesome. Yes I do believe my little sister was rather pissed off about that little stunt he pulled." he added as Elena winced at his sly comment.

"We're just meeting up to go over the plan Kol." Elena said through gritted teeth.

"Fine." Kol replied. "Pity, you might enjoy things differently now you're a vampire."

"Look, are you fine to meet at one?" Elena asked frustrated.

"Yes, yes." Kol sighed. "I'll be there. Just text me the room number." he said and with that he hung up.

After their little blood sharing experience, Damon and Elena had had sex in the shower before she got ready and left. This put Damon in an excellent mood for the day. However, as good as the sex was, nothing could compare to the revelation of when she fell in love with him. This gave Damon a new found sense of confidence in his relationship with Elena. He was now certain that even if someone shoved the cure down her throat, she wouldn't leave him. The other thing that had occurred to him was that if they found the cure, there was no reason for it to have to be taken right now. Maybe they could spend five hundred years roaming the earth, then decide to settle down, become human and have a family. He didn't want to discuss this with Elena as he didn't know what was going to happen when they reached the cure. He was cool with it either way, and as long as Elena was happy, he was happy.

Damon was sat in front of the fire in the parlor, finishing off his morning glass of blood when he heard a noise outside, signaling Stefan's return. Damon got up and headed to the wet bar as he Stefan walked in through the front door.

"Morning Stefan." Damon called out. "Where were you last night?" he asked as he poured himself a drink. Stefan glanced up and ignored him prompting Damon to sigh dramatically. "Fine, be like that, but we really do need to talk about the cure."

"What's there to talk about? Stefan asked.

"Finally. He speaks." Damon smirked. "I thought you wanted Elena to be human again?" Damon said.

"And I thought you didn't." Stefan raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Like I keep saying, I'm fine with her either way brother. What matters to me is what she's happy with." Damon explained.

"So she's not happy with being a vampire huh?" Stefan asked. "You not rocking her world hard enough with your vampire sex?" he said sarcastically as Damon rushed over to him.

"I'm not rocking her world." Damon sneered. "We're setting the world on fire." he glanced Stefan up and down before he smiled. "Not that it's any of your business." he added as Stefan suddenly punched him so hard Damon went flying into bookshelves. Stefan vamp-sped over to Damon before he had chance to get up and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and punched him again. Damon decided to let Stefan get it out of his system, he needed to get him on side, and if Stefan beating the shit out of him was going to help, then Damon didn't mind taking one for the team. It's not like it actually hurt, as long as Stefan didn't stake him.

"Ahem." a voice was heard in the doorway, prompting Stefan to stop punching and both brothers to look towards the owner of the voice, who turned out to be Klaus.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Damon asked as Stefan let go of him before he got to his feet, straightening himself up..

"Hello, mate." Klaus grinned at Damon before turning to look at his brother. "Stefan" he said nodding and smiled as Damon walked back over to the wet bar.

"I thought the mark was finished." Damon said, annoyed at the intrusion.

"Oh it is." Klaus smiled, cocking his head. "I'm here to see Stefan."

"Oh." Damon replied and began filling his glass with whiskey.

"What was that all about?" Klaus asked. "Not like you two to fight over anything." he said sarcastically.

"Not that it's any of your business, but he's still pissed at me for sleeping with Elena." Damon explained.

"You sure about that? 'Cause I saw him trying to sneak out of Rebekah's bed this morning, which would suggest to me that he's moved on." Klaus smirked, upon being outed, Stefan closed his eyes, grimaced and sighed.

Damon laughed as he turned to face Stefan. "Well, well. Looks like my brother ripped out a page of my revenge-sex handbook."

"Well, why don't you two enjoy a little, uh, villain bonding time?" Stefan asked as he turned to leave to go anywhere but be around Damon and his snarky comments.

"Oh don't mind me, I'm off to see Elena." Damon announced as he gulped down his glass of whiskey, and turned to leave the house.

"You do that." Stefan said as Damon walked outside, however he waited next to his car, listening to hear what Klaus wanted with Stefan.

"I'll let you know when I get the dagger from Rebekah." Damon heard Stefan say quietly to Klaus.

"Good. Well best hurry along then mate." he heard Klaus's voice say. "No time like the present. Tick tock." Realizing he might get caught, Damon got into his car to head out to Elena's. He'd heard everything he needed to hear and it would perfectly set everything in motion.

Whilst Elena waited for Damon to arrive, she decided to call Bonnie and tidy up.

"Where are you?" Elena asked.

"I told Caroline that I'd take her place at decade dance prep, but none of the rest of you showed." Bonnie complained.

"I know, I'm sorry. I had to take Jer to see Klaus." Elena lied.

"It's okay. Do you think Caroline will notice if there's only 89 red balloons?" Bonnie asked.

"Actually, probably yes." Elena laughed as she put her hand under the water to rinse a cup, when all of a sudden her hand felt like it was burning. Elena gasped and dropped her phone.

"Elena!" Bonnie cried out over the other end as Elena picked up her phone back up.

"Sorry." Elena

"What happened?" Bonnie

"I don't know. There's something in the water. I think it's vervain." Elena said confused as she heard Damon walk in. "Look Bonnie, Damon's here. I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." she added as they hung up.

"You ready to go?" Damon asked.

The meeting place where Damon and Elena had arranged to talk with Kol was the same motel on the outskirts of town where Anna and Ben had once brought Elena and Bonnie after kidnapping them to help free Pearl from the tomb. Fortunately it wasn't the same room, so it didn't bring back bad memories for Elena. On the contrary, it reminded Elena of the last time she and Damon were in a motel together. They'd been there for about five minutes before there was a knock on the door. Damon opened the door and Kol was stood on the other side.

"Kol." he said nodding for Kol to come in, before scanning the area outside to make sure nobody was watching.

"Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert. Pleasure." Kol smiled, cocking his head before turning to Damon. "Don't worry, I wasn't followed." Damon closed the door and walked over to the table.

"Whiskey?" Damon asked.

"Do you have any gin?" Kol asked.

"Nope. Only whiskey." Damon said.

"Fine, it'll have to do." Kol answered as Elena gestured for him to sit down on one of the chairs.

"Please tell us about Silas." she asked.

"Why do you want to talk about Silas?" Kol asked.

"Nobody else seems to think Silas exists, so why do you? And why don't you want to raise him?" Elena asked

"I used to run with some witches. Africa in the fourteenth century, Haiti in the seventeenth century, New Orleans in the nineteen hundreds." Kol told them "They all knew about Silas, that he needed to stay buried. I actually hold witches in high esteem."

"Yeah, but why Silas? Why are you so afraid of him?" Elena asked.

"They said if Silas rises, he'll unleash hell on Earth. I happen to like Earth just the way it is." Kol explained.

"That's pretty biblical." Damon muttered.

"Well, that's the other problem with people today...they've lost faith. And in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear." Kol said. "The witches say he'll raise all dead supernatural beings, friend or foe. As you can imagine that would leave a lot of dead supernatural beings roaming the earth."

"And I suspect a good few of them will be really pissed and have a few vendetta's out for you." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Am I alone in that?" Kol asked. "How many supernatural beings have you killed over the years who would be happy to get their revenge?"

"Duly noted." Damon shrugged and glanced at Elena.

"Nobody is going to believe you because they want the cure." Elena said.

"Rebekah wants it to have a human life." Kol added. "But Elena, can I ask you a question?" What do you want?"

"Why do you even need to ask?" Elena asked.

"It just seems odd that you'd be so willing to give up something you want so much." Kol frowned.

"You've been talking to the wrong people." Damon growled. "Listen to what Elena says about wanting to be human and not the people who actually want her to be human."

"Go on, I'm listening." Kol offered.

"Klaus wants to make me human again so I can be his personal hybrid making blood bag." Elena said scornfully. "Stefan wants to fix me so that I'll love him again, which won't happen." she scoffed as Damon winced. "I admit, the thought of being human again is appealing, but it's not worth the cost, both of my freedom and to raising Silas." she admitted. "Plus I'm happier than I have been ever since my parents died. Why would I give that up?" she added.

"Klaus wants her to marry a nice boy and pump out some more Petrova doppelgänger babies." Damon grimaced.

"And?" Kol asked confused.

"I don't want to marry some random guy just to have kids, I love Damon." Elena replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wouldn't you take the cure?" Kol asked turning to Damon. "You know, to help her 'pump out' the little Petrova doppelgangers."

"That's not me." Damon said. "You know, I used to miss being human once, but now, I can't think of anything more miserable on Earth." he complained. "Anyways, even if I were human and had kids, I wouldn't want Klaus anywhere near them. The only way I can protect any future offspring would be to not have any in the first place. It's my brother who wants to be human and have that, he clearly isn't thinking straight."

"Speaking of Stefan, have you spoken to him yet?" Kol asked as Damon was pouring a drink.

"I have." Damon told him. "Apparently Klaus has tasked him with stealing the dagger from Rebekah, I'm guessing it's so that he get you out of the way."

"That's not going to happen." Kol said.

"I think it should." Damon smiled.

"I thought we were a team." Kol growled standing up.

"Wait Kol." Elena walked up to the Original and put her hand on his chest. "Damon has a plan."

"And why should I trust you?" Kol asked angrily.

"Just listen to the plan and you'll understand." Elena reassured him as Kol sighed and sat back down.

"Go on." Kol urged them.

"My idea is to get Klaus out of the race." Damon explained. "Stefan is trying to get the dagger from Rebekah, let him. We'll dagger you at Elena's, then lure Klaus over to collect your body, don't worry, we'll compel Jeremy to remove the dagger as soon as we've left, in front of you if you want." Damon reassured Kol. "We'll get Bonnie to trap Klaus in Elena's house when he comes to collect you, but instead we'll take you to the boarding house basement, as soon as we leave Jeremy will undagger you."

"And why shouldn't I just compel someone to kill the hunter?" Kol asked.

"Because Jeremy will become a hunter." Elena told him. "Connor said he was a potential."

"Then I kill Jeremy." Kol smiled.

"Then another hunter turns up with someone like Professor Creepy without your knowledge and raises Silas. You can't control it." Elena protested.

"So what are you suggesting?" Kol asked.

"Kill Silas!" Damon grinned.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Kol asked looking puzzled.

"According to this Professor guy, the was cure made for Silas to take, and once he took it, he'd become mortal, which I presume means he's able to be killed." Damon said.

"That's what the legends say." Kol agreed.

"I think that most normal vampires would struggle to feed the cure to an immortal like Silas." Damon said.

"But you're an Original vampire, and you're stronger than we are." Elena pleaded, feeding Kol's vanity.

"The idea is that we go to wherever Silas is, you follow us and when we get there, we raise Silas, and you grab the cure and feed it to him, then we kill him." Damon grinned.

"You make it sound so simple." Kol said, alternating his glance between Damon and Elena. "Silas is a very powerful witch."

"But nobody will know you're there." Elena insisted. "You can take them by surprise. Silas can't kill you.

"Okay, say for the time being I agree, how do you plan on setting this up and how can I be certain to follow you?" Kol asked.

"You know where Klaus is keeping Connor?" Damon asked as Kol nodded in response. "We have to make this all believable. Elena is going to say she wants to take the cure, to prove we are serious, we'll have Connor's location. By taking both you and Klaus out of the equation, nobody will question our motives." he explained. "Klaus has a drawing of the map, I guess you could even head out to see Connor before we dagger you and take pictures of the tattoo." Kol raised an eyebrow at this suggestion, but continued to stay quiet. "You'll have the sword and map to decipher so you can follow us. Jeremy will wait until we leave and remove the dagger almost immediately. That way you'll be a couple of hours behind. At the pace you go, you'll probably get there before we do." Damon smiled. "But the main thing is that we have to make it believable." he insisted.

"There's vervain in the water supply." Elena suddenly remembered. "What if Jeremy's drank some?" she asked.

"Go call him." Damon instructed her. "Make sure he hasn't and doesn't."

"Okay, I'll go outside and call him while you two finish here." Elena said as she went outside to call Jeremy.

"To make it believable..." Damon whispered to Kol. "I need you to threaten Bonnie."

"Why?" Kol asked.

"She doesn't trust me, but she knows that I'll help her for Elena. We need to make her believe that you, Elena and I are not on the same side. There's no way Bonnie would think we'd let you threaten her if we were working with you." Damon explained as Kol nodded in understanding. "Can you do that? Because she will give you a headache." he warned.

"As to be expected." Kol said. "Where is she?" he asked.

"At the school." Damon told him.

"That's fine, I'll get onto that." Kol said.

"I'll need Connor's details. Klaus compelled me to forget the location." Damon asked.

"Pastor Young's farm." Kol told him as Damon suddenly began texting. "Who are you texting?" he asked suspiciously.

"Me!" Damon exclaimed as his phone chimed signaling a text message. "Klaus compelled me to forget the location and not tell anyone else. But as with every compulsion, there's always a loophole, nothing to stop me telling myself." he smirked.

"How do you plan on keeping Connor from killing you?" Kol asked.

"Good old fashioned medicine." Damon grinned. "I have a friendly doctor who owes me a few favors. I reckon tranquilizers should do the trick. I'll make sure I've got enough to keep him down for a month. I suspect it'll be harder to give him sweet dreams than your average Joe."

"So all we need to do is wait here and see if Jeremy can be compelled." Kol said.

Elena had gone outside to call Jeremy leaving Damon to explain the rest of their plan to Kol. She knew she needed to be quick as every minute that passed, Jeremy could have ingested the vervain water. Their plan hinged upon being able to compel Jeremy, she knew he'd help because his dealings with the other side meant he would be dubious about releasing every dead supernatural being into the world. Under normal circumstances, so would Bonnie, but she was too much under the control of Professor Shane to talk rational sense into her. Elena dialed Jeremy's number, he answered after two rings.

"Lena? What's up?" he asked.

"Jer, have you drank anything today?" she asked.

"Just orange juice and coke." he told her. "Why?"

"Under no circumstances can you drink anything else until we see you." Elena said. "If you want water, just drink the bottled stuff. No coffee or tea or hot drinks." she warned him.

"What's going on Lena?" Jeremy asked.

"Just trust me on this will you?" she asked. "I'll explain everything later." she told him before hanging up and heading back into the motel room.

"What did he say?" Damon asked as Elena walked back into the room.

"He's not touched any of the water today. No hot drinks or anything." she told them.

"Good!" Kol said as he stood up. "So will you call me later when you are ready to dagger me?" Kol grimaced.

"Stefan needs to get the dagger from Rebekah first." Damon told him. "You need to have a chat with Bonnie and get the details of Connor's tattoo, and we'll set everything up on our side."

"Your plan sounds good with the duplicity part, but what about the rest?" Kol asked.

"That's for you to plan. We're just going along for the ride. We can slow them down a little, I can threaten Professor Creepy if you want." Damon grinned.

"But you still haven't given me one good reason to trust you." Kol said.

"If Elena and I go and leave you in the basement to get the cure, and take it, then Klaus will undoubtedly undagger you just to kill us." Damon told him.

"True, but Klaus will want to kill you for stopping him getting the cure himself?" Kol asked.

"No he won't." Damon explained. "As long as you tell him you don't know who removed the dagger, he'll never know who was behind it. Klaus will blame you, but he can't dagger you and I'm guessing he won't kill you with the white oak stake. You're still his brother."

"He doesn't have the white oak stake." Kol told him. "I do."

"Even better." Damon grinned. "But I suspect that Klaus might want the cure destroyed after he plans on giving it to Elena, so we're doing him a favor."

"Fine." Kol said. "I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret it."

"You've got nothing to worry about." Damon smiled. "We both want rid of this cure as much as you do." he looked to Elena who nodded and smiled back, as Kol left the room.

"What was that about him needing talking to Bonnie?" Elena asked as Kol closed the door.

"Do you trust me?" Damon asked.

"Of course I trust you." Elena replied.

"Well then you've got nothing to worry about." he reassured her. "So, what do you feel like doing in the meantime?" he asked suggestively.

"What did you have in mind?" Elena looked at Damon suspiciously.

"Maybe continue where we left off in Denver?" he asked. "Without Jeremy of course." he winked as Elena smiled.

  
  


 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Kol opened the door to leave, then changed his mind, seemingly having an idea.

"Why don't you get Bonnie to incapacitate me. She can set up a spell and it would give me a headache the minute I walk in, young Jeremy can stab me. It would all be very believable." Kol suggested.

"You think Bonnie's capable of that?" Elena asked him.

"With what she did with the Professor the other day, she's extremely powerful and can do anything she wants." Kol explained. "Here!" he said holding his hand out and offering them a handkerchief.

"What's this for?" Damon asked, confused as he took it from Kol's hand.

"She'll need something of mine to perform the spell. Tell her I threatened you, put some of your blood on it." Kol explained as Damon nodded and bit his hand and dabbed blood on the handkerchief. "I must be going, I need to practice my photography skills." Kol smiled as he closed the door behind him whilst Damon and Elena waited for him to disappear before Elena turned to Damon.

"Do you trust him?" Elena asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Damon shrugged. "In the meantime however, I think I know what can take our minds off the worry of Kol." he grinned.

"What do you have planned?" she asked eyeing Damon suspiciously.

"Well, you know when we shared blood this morning and we were both able to be in the same place, almost like a dream?" Damon suggested.

"Yeah." Elena replied.

"Well, I think we should repeat the blood sharing and take ourselves back to Denver." he said. "Let's find out what would have happened without Jeremy." he winked.

"You think it'll work?" Elena asked.

"We won't know unless we try." Damon said walking over to Elena and wrapping his arms around her waist. "It'll be an easier way to relive memories that we wish could have been different."

"Will we still be dreaming it or will we be acting it out?" Elena asked as she wrapped her arms around Damon's neck.

"Shh." he said as he lowered his head and kissed her chastely before pulling her to the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Trust me." was all he said as lay down on the bed and pulled Elena on top so she straddled him. "I want you to bite my neck." he instructed her. "Try and forget everything that has happened since Denver. Just remember to be honest with your thoughts and feelings about what you wanted that night." he added, as Elena bent down a licked a line up Damon's jugular, which he also did to her. Elena felt her face tingle and her fangs elongate, she buried them into Damon's neck, as his sweet nectar filled her mouth, whilst at the same time she felt a tiny prick on her own and then the sense of pulling, until everything went dark.

Elena was lying on the bed, trying to sleep. Suddenly she heard a noise as someone picked the bottle from the night stand next to her. Opening her eyes she saw Damon walking over to the table near the window, without his shirt. Hoping that he wouldn't notice in the dark, Elena did something she'd never allowed herself to do before, she watched Damon, not as her vampire friend, but the half naked sexy as hell man in front of her. She'd tried her hardest to avoid looking at him in that way, but as he stood, putting a shirt on, without buttoning it up, and then looking out of the window, checking for Kol, it was impossible to not stare and appreciate his beauty. She felt her heart rate spike, she just hoped Damon hadn't heard, because if he came too close, she wasn't sure how much control she would have over herself because all she wanted to do right there and then was run her hands all over his delectable body.

Damon poured himself a drink and sat down, before draining the glass of whiskey, he then looked over towards Elena, she quickly closed her eyes and tried to feign sleep, but she knew it was futile, he'd know she was pretending. Giving up, Elena opened her eyes again and saw Damon was still watching her. They continued to stare at each other for a while, until Damon got up and walked over to the bed, before lying down next to her and placing his hand behind his head.

"You never told me about that. What you did for Rose." Elena smiled as they stared at each other, trying to make conversation, although she was intrigued by his actions.

"It wasn't about you." Damon sighed, turning to stare at the ceiling.

"Why don't you let people see the good in you?" Elena asked. It was something she'd never understood, deep down, Damon was a good man, he just wouldn't let people in.

"Because when people see good, they expect good." Damon said as he turned his head and faced Elena. "And I don't want to have to live up to anyone's expectations." he added, looking at her in a way that made her heart leap and heat pool in her stomach. The look on his face told her that Damon realized the effect he was having on her. She turned onto her back, and dropped her arm to the side, breathing heavily, she couldn't look at him when he looked at her like that. Suddenly Elena felt Damon's fingers gently caressing her hand. Elena hitched her breath, confused. A war was being waged inside her, her heart and body wanted him so badly, to lose herself in him, be one with him, she suspected being with him would be the most amazing feeling ever. On the other hand her mind was arguing back, she loved Stefan, it had always been Stefan, it would always be Stefan because he was safe and easy. Scared about not knowing what to do, she needed a minute to herself, Elena quickly got out of the bed, grabbed her sweater and left the motel room. Putting her sweater on, she leaned up against the ice machine, trying to catch her breath and process what was going on in her mind. She just hoped Damon would give her a moment to recover, however hope was short lived as she heard Damon came out and followed her into the hallway.

"Don't." Elena said, not turning around to look at him, knowing he wouldn't listen, knowing that if he uttered one more word, her body and heart would ignore her mind.

"Why not?" Damon asked, but she didn't reply. "Elena..." Damon called softly in a deep seductive voice that she'd never heard him use on her before. The effect on her was instantaneous, her mind lost the battle, her need for him was building up in her core and she felt as though she was going to explode if she wasn't in his arms.

Elena turned around and rushed towards Damon, grabbing his face in her hands she pressed her lips to his. Damon responded immediately by wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in close as they began to devour each other. Elena could taste the bourbon he'd just been drinking, mixed with something that was uniquely Damon, his smell overtook her senses. One of the things she'd always noticed about Damon was how good he smelled, it was a masculine mix of spices, bourbon and leather, although she couldn't smell the leather right now as he'd just had a shower. Nobody smelled, and now she learned, tasted as good as Damon, it was as if some divine being had taken every taste and smell she desired, and mixed them into Damon. Stefan certainly never had this effect on her.

The sexual tension had been building up for so long and their kisses were based upon instinct alone. Their tongues fought for dominance as Damon walked Elena backwards until she felt something cold and solid behind her. Elena's mind was a blank, nobody had ever kissed her with such passion and ferocity before, however there was a certain gentleness to it. Damon was extremely powerful, and she knew he was holding back for fear of hurting her. She could also feel his erection through his jeans as their hips pressed together, sending heat straight to her core. Almost as if he sensed Elena's growing arousal, Damon began to kiss her neck and chest, however she hated the feeling of his lips not being on hers. She lifted his head and began kissing him once more as their hands began to explore each other.

"I want you Damon." Elena whispered between kisses.

"Not here." Damon mumbled.

"What about Jeremy." Elena asked.

"The room next door is empty. If anyone comes I'll hear them." Damon looked at her, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Are you sure you want this Elena?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't want to rush things."

"Why are you unsure." Elena began kissing him again.

"I just don't want any regrets tomorrow." Damon said taking her hands in his. "Would you regret it tomorrow?" he asked, leaning his forehead against hers..

Elena cupped Damon's face in her hands and looked him straight in the eye. "No." she said.

Damon didn't need to be told twice. He lifted Elena up so she could wrap her legs around his waist as he kept kissing her, gently grabbing fistfuls of her hair as he walked her to the nearby empty room. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his soft raven locks, whilst he managed to open the door and let them inside. He placed her down on the dresser near the doorway, skimming his arm along it to make sure nothing was in her way, destroying a lamp in the process, but neither of them cared. They were too far gone and only aware of each other.

Elena pushed Damon's shirt from his shoulders as he pushed away her sweater. She began to stoke his chest up and down, something she'd been desperate to do from the moment she began watching him as he left the bathroom only a few minutes earlier. Damon's kisses made their way down her neck and along her collar bone, a sensation that was increasingly turning her on. He lifted her top over her head, exposing her naked breasts.

"God you're perfect." he whispered as his mouth made its way down to explore them fully. Normally Elena would have been embarrassed about her nakedness, but not with Damon. His words and the way his mouth and hands explored her breasts, causing her nipples to pebble, made her feel sexy, feminine and desirable.

Damon pulled Elena in closer to him so she could feel the bulge in his low slung jeans rubbing against her. Heat pooled in her stomach and she became wetter between her legs, Damon was turning her on so much. She tried grinding her hips against his, desperate for friction to relieve some of the longing she had for him. Her finger latched onto the loops around the waist of his jeans to pull him in closer, but it wasn't enough.

Suddenly Elena was no longer on the dresser, she was laying down on one of the beds, Damon hovering above her. A year ago that sight would have terrified her, now it was the most welcome sight in the world. He was worshiping her and it made her feel safe, loved and seriously turned on. Damon began kissing her, once more, his lips trailed down her neck, along her collar bone and left a trail as he made his way down her stomach. He hooked his fingers around the waistband of her slacks, Elena lifted her hips to allow him to pull them off. He quickly removed the pink cotton panties underneath. Elena wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed by her juvenile underwear, but he didn't seem to care. His prize lay underneath the wrapping of the pink panties.

Damon looked up at Elena, as if asking permission for what he was going to do next, she didn't care what he was going to do, as long as it would relieve the growing ache between her legs, and she trusted him. Oh the irony of that statement, she thought, to the outside world, Damon was a soulless, ruthless killer vampire, who was also an arrogant ass. Elena however, saw the human side of Damon, he let her in, he was insecure, loving and sensitive, and for tonight, he was hers.

Damon's mouth made it's way down to Elena's core, she breathed nervously, she'd only let Stefan do this once, as she wasn't sure whether he'd liked doing it or not. There was no question in Damon's eyes as to whether he wanted to do it, or whether he liked it, he looked as if he were a man dying of thirst and she was the only thing that would quench it.

The minute his mouth touched her core, she realized her assessment had been right. He was dying to taste her. He licked up her slit before pulling her folds apart and blowing into her entrance, before his tongue entered her. Elena nearly screamed with pleasure at his ministrations. Damon's hands slid up the side of her body until he found her hands and laced his fingers in hers, however all Elena could do was dig her fingers down as her core was getting hotter every time his tongue touched her, this act earned her a smile, or knowing Damon more likely a smirk, she could feel it, although she couldn't see it as she was thrashing around so much.

Damon unlaced his hands and put one flat on her stomach to stop her from bucking and the other he used to slowly insert two fingers inside her as his mouth made it's way up to her nub. Elena felt the build up of an impending orgasm, and it was coming fast and she suspected it would be powerful.

"Come for me Elena." she heard Damon's voice say huskily, it was all the encouragement she needed, as he back arched and she went rigid, her core became white hot as Damon worked her clit, whilst pumping his fingers inside her, causing the hot spasms of her orgasm.

"Oh my god...Damon..." she cried, the orgasm ravaging her body, as Damon initially encouraged it, however he slowed down what he was doing to allow her to come down from her high. She remembered back to their time in Georgia and when Bree had mentioned he was good in the sack, never in her wildest dreams did she imagine he was this good, she didn't know 'this good' even existed until a few minutes ago, and this was only foreplay.

Damon climbed back up the bed until he was hovering above her once more.

"You okay?" he asked as he lovingly tucked a stray hair behind her ear. Elena looked down at Damon, who was still partially clothed.

"No." she complained. "You're wearing too much." she grinned as she reached down and unbuttoned his jeans, desperate to seek out his hidden treasure. Damon helped her remove the jeans and his boxer briefs, his manhood springing free. Unsurprisingly Damon had every reason to be smug, compared to Stefan and Matt, he was huge. Elena reached down and wrapped her hand around his girth, earning her a hiss of pleasure from him.

Elena closed her eyes and guided him into her entrance, a sense of bliss as she began to feel him fill her completely, however when she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the motel in Denver, Damon was looking down at her in wonder, they were in the motel in Mystic Falls. But Elena didn't care, as long as she was with Damon, that's all that mattered. Damon began thrusting slowly at first, gradually increasing the pace as he cupped her backside, stroking his hand down her thigh and pulling her leg up so she could wrap it around his waist. Elena knew what he wanted as she moved her hips in unison with his, whilst her hands massaged his ass.

They kissed before Damon picked up the pace, placing one hand on the headboard as he began thrusting at almost inhuman speed. The dream had been about when Elena was human, now the contrast came as she was a vampire, and this is what she could handle. As desire filled them both, their faces began to vamp out once more. Damon moved his hand between them and began circling Elena's nub, as the pressure inside her was building once more. She needed her teeth inside him as she felt her fangs elongate.

Suddenly Elena bit down on Damon's neck once more, and she felt Damon doing the same, taking them back to the motel in Denver. Damon's pace was now more human, but he was still circling her nub, and Elena could feel an orgasm building up inside her.

"Don't stop." she panted, she'd never known sex to be this good before. However Damon didn't listen, he moved at vamp-speed until they were both sat, her straddling him, so she could look down at him, who was looking back at her adoringly. His hands on her hips, guiding her movement so she didn't tire out. Elena cupped his face, pulled it to hers and kissed him, trying to express her desire as her core was getting ever hotter. She threw her head back and began to moan, as Damon lathered kisses along her collar bone, before his lips and tongue moved south towards her breast, whilst his hand moved towards her clit.

"Oh my god...Damon!" Elena cried.

"That's it Elena." Damon whispered. "Come for me." Elena's body happily complied as she felt white hot spasms convulsing through her core. Looking down she saw Damon responding to her own orgasm as his face scrunched up.

"Ah...Elena...Fuck!" were all he could manage to say as Elena felt him spill his seed into her womb. Elena felt a need to grab him tight and pull his head close to her chest whilst she ran her fingers through his hair as they both came down from their high. Elena closed her eyes as she rubbed her cheek on the top of Damon's head. When she opened them once more, they were both back in the motel in Mystic Falls in exactly the same position as they were in their shared dream.

Damon moved them so he was lying on top of Elena, still inside her as he stroked her face and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I love you Damon Salvatore." Elena grinned as she lifted her head and kissed him.

"I love you too Elena Gilbert." Damon smiled through the kiss as his hand moved down her body and cupped Elena's behind.

"You ready to go again?" Elena whispered in surprise as she felt Damon harden inside of her.

"I'm always ready for you." he whispered back, kissing her nose as he gently thrust inside her, causing Elena to moan with pleasure.

Bonnie had had enough of blowing up balloons, there were times and places where she wished she could flaunt her magic and use it for something useful and fun, like blowing up the ninety nine red balloons Caroline had insisted they needed for the eighties decade dance, however life wasn't that fair. After her earlier call with Elena she'd tried to get hold of her dad, but he'd obviously been busy as he hadn't answered his phone. As she walked down one of the hallways in the school, she tried one more time, finally after the fourth ring, he answered.

"Finally dad. I've been trying to get hold of you all day." Bonnie said. "Have You dumped vervain into the water supply? And if so, where did you even get it?" she asked.

"I have my sources." her dad replied. "I'm also reinstating the curfew and canceling all town events."

"Dad, there's a dance tonight." Bonnie insisted.

"Not anymore." he told her.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Honey, I'm trying to protect you, not punish you." her dad explained. "The well-being of this town is my job now."

"No! Dad, it's mine and I've been doing fine without you getting involved!" Bonnie cried,

"You've been doing fine? Would you like me to read you all the names of the people who have gone missing or died in tragic accidents, in your senior year alone?" he asked. "Head straight home please, we're having a family meeting." he said using his parental authority voice.

Bonnie hung up, she was angry, her father had only been around as Mayor for what seemed like five minutes and he'd started interfering. She knew she need to stop him otherwise he'd get himself killed. She set off walking down the hallway, when suddenly Kol arrived out of nowhere and pushed her against the wall, restraining her with his hand around her neck.

"No one can find the cure if you're too dead to find it." Kol sneered as he vamped out poised to attack Bonnie when she began to use her magic to break the bones in his hand and then the rest of his body. Suddenly she began to lose control. Her power was so strong it caused balloons in the hallway to pop and the lockers to open, papers flying out of them. Bonnie, becoming scared of what she might do, so she ran away, leaving Kol in agony on the hallway floor.

Elena rested her head in the crook of Damon's neck as they looked up at the ceiling in the dingy motel, whilst Damon traced circles around her shoulder.

"Do you think it will always be like this?" Elena sighed.

"Nope." Damon replied. "It'll just keep getting better." he smiled, turning to look her in the eyes. "The more we know each other, the more we'll understand each other instinctively." he said. "And the more we'll know how adventurous we can go." he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Adventurous?" Elena asked in surprise.

"When we re-enacted the pageant, the thought of getting caught turned you on didn't it?" he asked, prompting Elena to blush. "Maybe we could make the chance of getting caught even more real." he suggested just as they were interrupted by Elena's phone ringing.

"I better get that." she said leaning over and taking her phone from her purse, seeing Bonnie's name as the caller ID.

"Bonnie." Elena said as she sat up and answered the phone.

"Oh my god...Elena." Bonnie said sounding terrified.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, her eyes flashing to Damon in fear.

"Kol." Bonnie told her. "He came to the school Elena. He tried to kill me." Bonnie cried.

"He did what?" Elena's eyes flared with anger as she suspected Damon might have known about this. "Are you okay Bonnie?"

"Pass me the phone Elena!" Damon demanded before Bonnie had chance to respond as Elena reluctantly handed the phone over to him, confused.

"Get over to Elena's as soon as possible." he told her. "I've got a plan to take out Kol." he explained before handing the phone back to Elena.

"Did you get that?" Elena asked. "Are you okay?" she asked again.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there." Bonnie replied. "I can take care of myself." she said with a feigned confidence in her voice. "See you later." she added hanging up.

Elena turned to Damon. "Is there anything you'd like to tell me?" she asked angrily.

"Kol didn't really want to kill her." Damon explained. "We need Bonnie to believe we're on her side, even though we are, she just needs additional motivation. The only person at risk was Kol. He knew she'd give him a headache, but we need Bonnie's trust over Professor Creepy, and right now, she only trusts him."

"If she ever finds out about this Damon..." Elena started.

"She won't!" Damon interrupted. "And even if she does, this is on me. Sometimes we have to make decisions which people don't like for the greater good. Bonnie of all people knows that." He added to a confused looking Elena.

"So what's the next part of your genius master plan that you neglected to tell me about?" Elena asked sarcastically.

"Call Stefan and ask him to get the dagger from Rebekah and bring it round to yours." Damon instructed. "Tell him that Bonnie will help us get Kol and Klaus, suggest Rebekah too. See? Easy peasy." he smirked. "I'd do it, but we're not on good terms right now. He trusts you more than me."

"Fine I'll do it." Elena complained as she dialed Stefan's phone.

"Elena?" Stefan answered. "What's the matter?"

"Kol just tried to kill Bonnie." Elena told him.

"What? Is she okay?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, she's just shaken up. She managed to hold him off, but Kol seems pretty intent on murdering everyone who's looking for that cure." Elena warned Stefan. "He threatened Damon too." as Damon looked at her giving her the thumbs up. "I thought I ought to call you and warn you." she added.

"Yeah, Klaus has me trying to convince Rebekah to give up her dagger so he can take care of Kol." Stefan told her.

"Yeah, about that, I was thinking and I want Jeremy to dagger Kol." Elena stated.

"What did you just say?" Stefan asked, sounding shocked.

"Bonnie has all this crazy new power. Hopefully she can hold him long enough for Jeremy to get a clean shot." Elena told him.

"And then what, huh?" Stefan probed.

"Bonnie should be able to get Klaus out of the picture, too, at least temporarily, she can do the same with Rebekah. Once we get this cure, none of this will matter because we can use it against them." Elena explained.

"All right, fine, but how do you plan to lure Kol in?" Stefan asked.

"We call a truce. Pretend to side with him." Elena suggested.

"What do you need me to do?" Stefan asked.

"Get the dagger from Rebekah." Elena told him. "Exactly as Klaus asked, just give it to Jeremy instead."

"Fine." Stefan told her. "I'm on my way to her place now." he told Elena, hanging up as he opened the door to Rebekah's and leaned up against the door frame watching her as she was looking through a rack of clothing.

"Still not knocking are we?" she asked, not bothering to turn around.

"I didn't want to interrupt." Stefan offered, which seemed to pacify Rebekah.

"The colors, the fabrics...The eighties were just...tragic. You know, I think shoulder pads rival 17th-century puritan smocks for crimes against fashion." Rebekah complained.

"Looking for something to wear to the dance?" Stefan asked.

"Aye. Rebekah replied. "Are you asking me to a date?"

"Actually, it was canceled." Stefan told her as he walked into Rebekah's room and closed the door behind him.

"So why are you here? Back for more dagger talk?" Rebekah said clearly upset.

"Somebody has some trust issues." Stefan laughed.

"It's called a healthy skepticism. I know you were trying to sneak out this morning. I'm not stupid." Rebekah sneered.

"Sorry, I'm...I'm still trying to get used to this." Stefan replied sheepishly.

"Do you regret it?" Rebekah asked, frowning.

"No." Stefan said honestly.

"Do you want it to happen again?" Rebekah questioned him.

"Maybe." he admitted.

"Even if I don't give you the dagger?" Rebekah asked.

"You think that I would sleep with you just to get the dagger?" Stefan replied, insulted by her claim.

"Don't give me that innocent look." Rebekah eyed Stefan suspiciously. "You've done plenty to me in the name of getting what you want. Well, I guess I should pack up these racks. Just another failed attempt at getting to a high school dance." she sighed.

"Why do you care so much about a high school dance?" Stefan asked.

"I don't. I was just bored." Rebekah protested.

"Right. Well, we can still go, if you want." Stefan suggested.

"Not if it's canceled, we can't." Rebekah grumbled.

"Since when do you care about the rules?" Stefan smiled.

"Good point." Rebekah smiled back as she went back to looking for something appropriate to wear.

Elena and Damon returned to the her house after they'd made the necessary calls from the motel and were sat at the dining room table whilst they waited for Bonnie and Jeremy. Kol was going to wait until Bonnie left before he arrived to watch Jeremy to be compelled for his own peace of mind.

"You still mad at me?" Damon asked sheepishly.

"Yes Damon." Elena snapped. "You asked Kol to threaten Bonnie. Of course I'm still mad." Elena glared at him.

"But you know why I did it don't you?" he asked. "It's for her own protection. We have to make it believable." he pleaded.

"I get it Damon, I do." Elena rolled her eyes. "I just wish you'd have told me." she sighed.

"But your surprise sold it." Damon started. "She had to..." he stopped as he heard a noise. "They're here." he whispered as Bonnie and Jeremy walked in through the front door.

"Bonnie..." Elena walked over to her best friend, who hugged her back.

"Elena." she smiled, her eyes glanced over to Damon. "Damon!" she said coolly acknowledging his presence. "So what's this all about?" she asked as they all sat down around the table. Elena turned to Damon and raised her eyebrows expectantly for him to explain the plan.

"We have a plan where Stefan is going to get the dagger from Rebekah, and we're going to lure Kol here under false pretenses of a truce." Damon explained. "Then Jeremy sticks the dagger in his chest, and we call Klaus to come and get Kol's body." Damon turned to Bonnie. "And this is where you come in Sabrina." Bonnie glared at his nickname for her. "We need you give Kol a headache and to hocus pocus a spell on the house to trap Klaus inside for a few days. We kill two Original problems with one dagger." Damon said smugly.

"I could spell the house so that the moment Kol steps inside he gets a headache." Bonnie suggested.

"Don't you need to be here for that?" Elena asked.

"I do unless you have something that belongs to Kol." Bonnie told them.

"Well it's a good job I like keeping Original momentos." Damon winked. "Kol attacked me the other day as a warning to stop trying to find the cure, he gave me this..." Damon showed Bonnie the handkerchief, who took it from him. "You need anything else?" he smiled.

"Just candles and water." Bonnie said as Elena got up and filled a glass full of water and brought some candles over to Bonnie, who lit them with one glance, before she began chanting her spell as she grabbed hold of the talisman around her neck. Both Damon and Elena notice how high the flames were burning on the candles, it must have been nearly a foot high, far more than Bonnie had ever been able to do before. They looked at each other in concern, both realizing how much power Bonnie now had. Suddenly Bonnie got up with the glass of water and went to the front door and splashed droplets of water over the entrance. Bonnie then walked to the back door and repeated the process, whilst still chanting. She came back to the table and suddenly cried "Incendia!" as flames momentarily poured out from the drops of water she'd placed at the entrances to the house. However as quickly as the flames appeared, they died away. "It's done." she smiled as the flames of the candles also disappeared. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We wait for Stefan to get the dagger from Rebekah, then we call Kol and Jeremy daggers him." Elena smiled. "That will be your cue to trap Klaus." she added.

"And then what?" Bonnie asked.

"We rescue Professor Creepy and the Hunter." Damon grinned.

"Nobody knows where the Hunter is." Bonnie said.

"I do!" Damon admitted.

"And what about me?" Jeremy asked.

"You're staying with Matt, Jer." Elena turned to her brother. "We don't know what we're up against in the search for the cure, and if this Silas guy is real, then I don't want you near him when we find the cure."

"Supernaturals only." Damon piped up.

"And who's going to look after Klaus?" Jeremy asked.

"Let's just say Klaus won't be too disappointed with his captor." Damon smirked.

"Caroline?" Bonnie asked.

"And Tyler." Elena added.

"So both of you need to get your stuff together as everything is going to go down tonight." Damon told Bonnie and Jeremy.

"Is that enough time for you to pack and prepare for the spell?" Elena asked Bonnie.

"It will if I get going now." Bonnie said standing up and heading towards the door.

Stefan and Rebekah arrived at the still-decorated gym which was dark and empty.

"I think I saw a horror movie that started just like this. Did you know they play movies on TV all night long now?" Rebekah asked. "Hundreds of them. So much better than those silly black-and-white picture shows we used to go to." she added as Stefan turned on the lights and music, prompting Rebekah to smiles.

"I dunno. I kinda miss the old ones. You got any requests for the DJ?" Stefan asked as he looked down at his phone and saw a text message from Matt saying: "Still looking".

"I'll let you pick. Nothing cheesy." Rebekah told him.

"Oh, that leaves out about half the decade." Stefan said as he plugged his phone into the speakers. "Hope you like The Cure." he joked.

"Funny. So is everything about the eighties so...excessive?" Rebekah asked.

"It had its charm. 'Say Anything' – Lloyd Dobler standing outside of a bedroom window with a boombox over his head, desperately trying to get back the girl of his dreams; 'Princess Bride' – Wesley slays giant rats for love; 'The Breakfast Club' – one detention turns a bunch of outcasts into allies." Stefan explained.

"So it was a decade of sentimental drivel, as well?" Rebekah said.

"Well, I was going to say love, friendship, the possibility of anything happening. You would've loved it." Stefan smiled.

"And why is that?" Rebekah asked, smiling back.

"Because as much as we both hate to admit it, we care about those things." Stefan said as he pulled out a small box.

"That better not be a corsage. I loathe corsages." Rebekah grumbled as Stefan opened the box, inside was a clip on koala corsage.

"These were all the rage in the eighties." Stefan explained causing Rebekah to laughs, as Stefan clipped it to her dress. "Let's dance." he said as Rebekah took Stefan's hand, and they began to dance.

Kol arrived at the Gilbert's a little after five to meet with Elena, Jeremy and Damon. Instead of inviting him in they stood on the porch to discuss the matters at hand.

"Okay Jeremy, Kol won't hurt you, he's here to make sure we compel you." Elena explained.

"Why are you compelling me?" Jeremy asked. "I don't need compelling to dagger Kol." he said glaring at the Original.

"No hard feelings buds." Kol smiled sarcastically. "But Nik might want to kill you for daggering me, so I'm doing you the favor." he smirked as Elena took a needle from her pocket.

"Can I have your finger Jer?" Elena asked. "We need to be certain you don't have vervain in your system." she explained as he held his hand out and she pricked his finger, causing him to wince. Kol took hold of his finger and tasted the blood.

"He's clean!" Kol stated. "Let's get this over with." he said as Damon stood in front of Jeremy and looked him in the eyes.

"When Kol comes around later, I want you to invite him in the house and dagger him." Damon told him. "After we've all left to search for the cure, I want you to go to the boarding house basement and remove the dagger from Kol, then go back to Matt's and stay there until we return. You will now go inside and not remember this conversation or that Kol was even here." he added.

"I'll invite Kol in and then dagger him, then undagger him at the boarding house when you've gone, go to Matt's and stay there." Jeremy said blankly. "I'll go back in the house now and forget this conversation happened or that Kol was here." he said as he turned around and walked back into the house.

In the gym, Rebekah was alone kicking a balloon, twirling around to Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' as Stefan came back with a bottle of alcohol.

"It's amazing what you can find stashed away in the teachers' lounge." Stefan grinned as he shook the bottle.

"This song is not as terrible as the other ones." Rebekah sighed.

"This song is the godfather of rock anthems, okay" Stefan proclaimed fiercely.

"What's going on with you? You're...fun tonight." Rebekah asked suspiciously.

"I can't listen to this music without thinking of my best friend, Lexi." Stefan explained. "We spent most of the eighties together. I remember this one time she snuck us backstage and compelled half the band to do tequila shots with us before the show. She was fearless, kinda like you." he added, smiling ruefully.

"So, you slept with her, too?" Rebekah asked.

"No, it wasn't like that. I was just a better person when I was with her. I didn't think I'd ever feel that way again." Stefan said sadly.

"Until Elena?" Rebekah offered.

"Until Elena. And now, that's over." Stefan shrugged.

"That look right there? That is why I don't let myself care." Rebekah told him triumphantly.

"Well, you can say that, but we both know it's not true." Stefan insisted as a balloon suddenly popped causing Stefan to flinch.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you if Kol tracks his way to this abandoned dance." Rebekah said as she pulled down a leg warmer and showed him the dagger. "I think I'll choose the next song." she said as she noticed the music had stopped, however Stefan stopped her and took her drink.

"No, you know what? I have a better idea." he said as he set their cups down. "That way." he said pointing towards the hallway and unplugging his phone as they left the gym.

"Well, are you coming?" Rebekah asked. "And what are we doing?"

"This is called the 'Breakfast Club Slide'." Stefan told her as he ran down the hallway and slid, mimicking the slide from the movie 'The Breakfast Club'. "Like that." he said proudly prompting Rebekah to laughs.

"This is ridiculous." Rebekah complained.

"Well, that's the whole point of The Breakfast Club slide. It's supposed to be ridiculous." Stefan frowned, as Rebekah made her attempt but used vamp-speed and didn't quite manage to pull it off.

"No, that's...that's cheating." Stefan scolded her.

"What is fun about hurtling down a hallway like a teenage imbecile?" Rebekah complained.

"You're just gonna have to do it to find out." Stefan insisted as Rebekah smiled and sighed, before turning around and having another go. However her shoes just squeaked against the floor, completely impractical shoes for sliding.

"All right, it's the shoes. Take off the shoes, you'll be fine, okay?" Stefan suggested.

"This is what you want, right?" Rebekah said, realizing what he was after as she gave the dagger to him.

"Go ahead, take it. You're right. I do care. I want stupid koala corsages and a prom. I want to have kids with someone who loves me enough to stand outside my window with a stupid boombox. I want to be human. So let Klaus put down my brother. Let's go find the cure." Rebekah said sadly.

"Come on. Let's go home." Stefan told her as he pocketed the dagger.

  
  


 

 


	22. Chapter 22

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Damon arrived at Mystic Falls General Hospital on business. He wanted to check on Meredith to make sure there was no fall out from Alaric's confession, the clean up of compelling everyone involved had been a bitch and had kept him occupied whilst Elena had been busy trying to play human with Stefan after she first transitioned. Fortunately he'd made sure everyone was back in the dark once more before Elena had decided to choose him, which was good, otherwise it would have been interrupting his and Elena's 'Getting to know you' time, which Damon figured was going to last at least another two hundred years.

Damon found what, or rather who he was looking for writing some note at the reception desk at the far end of the hallway. Sneaking up to Meredith from behind, Damon put his hands over both eyes.

"Hows my favorite sexy psycho doctor?" he asked jokingly as Meredith pushed his hands away from her face in annoyance as if she were squatting a fly, before turning round.

"Damon!" she said through gritted teeth.

"That's me." Damon replied offering her his biggest grin.

"What do you want?" she snapped, glaring at him, prompting Damon to pout in protest.

"What makes you think I want anything?" he asked innocently. "Maybe I was just passing through and thought I'd pay my favorite doctor a visit and say hi." he added, however Dr Fell just folded her arms and raised an eyebrow in suspicion, whilst continuing to simply glare at Damon. "Fine you got me." he eventually said, rolling his eyes. "I need a favor." he admitted, looking a little sheepish.

"Come with me." Meredith said as she walked down the hallway, whilst Damon followed, before leading him into an office. "We can talk in here." she said as she made a quick check to see if anyone was following before she closed the door behind them. "Okay, so what do you need?" she finally asked.

"We need to be able to stop the hunter from hunting whilst we take him on a little vacation." Damon explained. "Something to help him sleep like a baby. We don't want him getting car sick." he winked.

"You want sedatives?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, like the ones you gave Ric." Damon gulped. It was still painful just to say his name. "But I suspect he might be harder to take down. We're hoping Bonnie can put a protection spell on me so I can get close enough to inject him." he explained.

"Okay, fine." Meredith sighed walking over to the door. "You wait here and I'll go get something." she added leaving Damon to wait for her to return.

Elena was stood alone in the kitchen pouring herself a mug of coffee, whilst Jeremy was playing some combat game on the 'PlayStation' in the living room when there was a knock at the front door.

"Elena, it's me." Stefan said from the other side.

"Come in." she replied as he opened the door, walked in and headed over towards her. "Want one?" she offered, holding out her cup to him. "It's fresh."

"No I'm fine." he replied, taking out the dagger and the small jar of white oak ash the inside of his 'Top Gun' style leather jacket. "Here!" he offered, handing them over to her. "What now?" he asked.

"Bonnie has already spelled the house." Elena told him. "We just need to get Kol to come here and invite him in." she explained. "He'll go down with a headache as soon as he walks in and that means Jeremy can dagger him."

"Do you need me to stay?" Stefan asked.

"Probably a good idea." Elena smiled. "We could probably use an extra pair of hands, just in case we need to hold Kol for Jer to get a clean shot." she told him as Stefan nodded at her explanation. "Also, we need you to let Klaus know, and it's best if you've witnessed it first hand. You know what he can be like." she said.

"Why can't Damon do it?" Stefan asked.

"Damon has gone to get some sedatives from Meredith." Elena told him. "He's planning on taking Connor tonight."

Stefan frowned. "How does he even know where Connor is?" he asked.

"All Damon knows is that he texted himself a message with details of Connor's whereabouts and he has some blank holes in his memory." Elena sighed.

"He thinks Klaus compelled him?" Stefan asked as Elena nodded in response. "Good thinking by my brother, if Klaus says don't tell anyone else, I guess it doesn't stop you from telling yourself." he mused. "So how did he manage to tell you about it?" he looked at her confused.

"He didn't." Elena explained. "He just asked me to read through all of his text messages on his phone." she smirked. "One of them was from himself and it said that the mark was complete and it gave the details of the whereabouts of Connor."

"And where is that?" Stefan asked innocently.

"I can't remember." Elena smiled back and sipped on her coffee as she guessed Stefan would have tried to get to Connor first, which meant she couldn't trust him. Elena turned and looked over to the living room where Jeremy was sat. "Jer, are you ready?" she asked as Jeremy pressed pause on the game, before he picked up his phone, got up and walked over to the two vampires in the kitchen.

"Yep!" Jeremy said. "What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I'm going to call Kol and invite him over for a truce meeting about Silas, whilst Stefan shows you what to do with the dagger." Elena told him, holding her hand out for Jeremy's cell, which he handed over.

Stefan dipped the dagger in the ash as Elena turned her back to the two men and scrolled through the numbers on Jeremy's phone, hoping Kol would play the part of unsuspecting victim. "Stab him right in the heart." Elena heard Stefan say as she found the number and pressed the call button.

"Jeremy Gilbert. Nice to hear from you mate." Elena heard Kol's voice at the other end.

"Actually, it's Elena Gilbert." Elena replied coolly.

"What a treat. Yeah, I was just thinking of all the clever ways I could have your boyfriend killed." Kol sneered. "Just because he's best buds with Nik, doesn't mean he's off limits, especially now he's desperate to find the cure." he added.

"Stefan is not my boyfriend." Elena said through gritted teeth as she turned and looked at Stefan, who's eyes were suddenly cast down.

"Does that mean you don't mind me killing him?" Kol asked.

"I need to talk to you...in person. I wanna call a truce, in the name of Silas." Elena told him, ignoring Kol's jibe about Stefan. She wasn't sure if he was being serious or not, his play acting seemingly a little too good for comfort.

"You want to talk about Silas?" Kol asked her.

"I'll meet you wherever you want. I'll come to you." Elena said, hoping Kol would take the hint to suggest he came to her house so that the plan could be set into motion. Elena's concern about Kol was that he was volatile and she still wasn't sure how much she could trust him.

"I'll tell you what. How about I come to you?" Kol suggested as the doorbell rang. Everyone turned and looked at each other in surprise, nobody had expected him to arrive so quickly.

"Are you ready?" Elena mouthed to Jeremy, looking at the dagger in his hand. Jeremy nodded in reply and shoved the dagger in his belt behind his back.

"Hello? If you want a truce, open the door and invite me in. I'm waiting." Kol shouted through the door. "Let me in and let's talk truce." he added.

"Wouldn't that be kind of stupid to invite you in?" Elena asked down the phone, before realizing it was futile and hung up.

"On the contrary, I could kill you. I'm sure that would stop your...ex boyfriend from searching for the cure, likewise with Nik and whatever his face is, your ex boyfriend's brother, Damien, that's right isn't it?" he asked sarcastically. "Though killing you wouldn't stop my sister, although I could dagger her. But then I've got the Professor and the Bennett witch, which is the problem." he went on, practically talking to himself. "She's protecting him, and as I discovered earlier, she's a little bit too powerful for me to kill. That makes you my safest option to stop them." he offered, as Elena looked between Stefan and Jeremy, as Stefan nodded in agreement with Kol's motivation.

"I'm the only one that can invite him inside." Jeremy whispered theatrically.

"He's right, obviously." Kol called out from the other side of the door, loud enough for the benefit of Jeremy's hearing.

Elena opened the door to find a smiling Kol on the other side. "You'd think being alive for over a thousand years would teach me some manners, but I couldn't resist stopping by." he said sarcastically, as Elena looked back at Jeremy and nodded.

Jeremy nodded back at Elena before turning to Kol. "You can come in." he said before returning to the kitchen, out of sight.

"No gold medals for bravery, I see." Kol sneered. "You know the thing I love about the modern age is...music, anytime you like." he added as he put his phone and earphones in his pocket, in a way that purposely gave only Elena a small glimpse of the white oak stake, which was stashed in an inside pocket of Kol's jacket. "So...this is the part where you offer me a drink so we can have a proper chat." he said as he was about to enter the house, prompting Elena to nod and move aside to let Kol in before closing the door. As soon as he walked in, Kol began clutching his head in pain, bringing him to his knees.

"Arghhh...what's this?" he cried, as Stefan rushed over and pulled Kol's arms behind his back, thrusting his chest forward as Jeremy walked over to the with the dagger in hand. "I thought we were mates." Kol said, tears in his eyes with pain as Jeremy plunged the dagger straight into his heart. The effects of the dagger were instantaneous, the gray color ran up his skin and his veins turned dark, imitating a vampire death, albeit only temporary.

Stefan dragged Kol's body away from the doorway and into the kitchen, before Elena got a white sheet and covered it, just as the front door opened and Damon walked in.

"Hi." Damon said to Elena, smiling, as Elena walked out from the kitchen and over to Damon before hugging him."Sorry I missed all the excitement." he asked hugging her back as he look over her shoulder and spotted Kol's sheet covered body.

"I'm just happy to see you." Elena said as she kissed him passionately on the lips.

"Ahem." Jeremy said, making a coughing noise as Damon and Elena looked over to him and then to Stefan, as if they'd completely forgotten they weren't alone. "What do you want to do now?" Jeremy asked.

"You can go over to Bonnie's Jer." Elena told him. "Tell her we need her to take down Klaus." she said. Jeremy nodded and headed out to Bonnie's.

"You got the stuff for the hunter?" Stefan asked Damon awkwardly, prompting Damon to frown and look at Elena.

"You told him?" Damon asked her.

"He had to know." Elena replied. "Don't worry, I didn't tell him where the hunter was being kept." she explained, as Damon nodded, before turning his attention back to his brother.

"Yeah, I got the stuff to keep him down." Damon told him. "Look, the only way we can get the cure is to work as a team. I've got an idea of how to get Professor Shady to help us, but it would need your help." Damon explained. "I've got the hunter, all that is missing is the headstone, which I'm guessing is something you or Barbie Klaus have. Once we get the Original family out of the way, we can team up and get this cure and get rid of the creepy Professor guy, then we all live happily ever after, human or vampire. What do you say brother?" he smiled.

"Fine." Stefan sighed. "I'll call Klaus, then I'll go get the headstone from Rebekah." he said getting his phone out of his pocket whilst Damon began rummaging through the cupboards to get a glass and the bottle of bourbon Elena now kept.

"How much did you get?" Elena asked as Damon poured two glasses and handed one over to her.

"Enough to keep a horse unconscious for a month." Damon smiled, taking a sip from his glass.

"I have an idea." Elena mouthed to Damon, as she put her finger on her lips and shook her head, before looking over to Stefan who was still on the phone talking to Klaus. Damon slowly nodded his head acknowledging the fact that Elena wanted to wait until Stefan had gone before she told him her plan. Damon lifter Elena onto the island in the middle of the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist, whilst she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

"I've got an even better idea..." Damon whispered suggestively, earning him a death glare from Elena, in which he responded by pouting, before he pulled her in for a kiss whilst Stefan continued to talk to Klaus. "The things I want to do with you on this island, are so wicked and delicious, that you'll never look at strawberries and chocolate the same way again." he whispered seductively in Elena's ear, sending shivers of lust down her spine. Deciding that she needed to shut him up before she lost control in front of Stefan with his brother, Elena began to kiss Damon furiously, as if her life depended on it.

Bonnie had gotten home from Elena's and was just finishing packing for their trip. She'd gotten everything ready for the spell, and all she had to do was be there when Klaus arrived to lock him into the Gilbert House. Bonnie had everything packed except her phone, which she'd been searching for, for the last twenty minutes.

"I have to get to Elena's...have you seen my phone?" Bonnie asked her dad who was stood at the door watching as Bonnie frantically searched under the cushions of the couch.

"You mean this?" he asked, prompting Bonnie to turn around and look at him as he held up her phone. "I've got your phone, and I've got your car keys. And I told you, we are having a family meeting." Rudy said sternly.

"Is that something you read in a book?" Bonnie asked sarcastically. "Because we have never had a family meeting." she said folding her arms.

"I've let this go on far enough." Rudy replied. "Shane said you and your magic are like a ticking time bomb."

"And I told you he's crazy." Bonnie sighed with frustration.

"I lost your mother to witchcraft. I don't intend to lose you." Rudy said defiantly.

"It's not your life, it's mine." Bonnie insisted but stopped as she were suddenly interrupted by the sound of urgent pounding on the door. Rudy walked off to answer it, but Bonnie waited for him in the living room as she heard her father answer the door.

"Yeah?" Bonnie heard her father say.

"Is Bonnie here?" Jeremy's voice rang through into the living room, prompting Bonnie to go and talk to him.

"She's busy." Rudy said rudely as he tried shutting the door, but Bonnie heard Jeremy stop him and he came in just as Bonnie joined them in the foyer.

"It's important." Jeremy insisted.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, making her presence known.

"I've called you like a hundred times." Jeremy said urgently. "Kol is in our house, I daggered him. Klaus should be on his way soon, are you ready to go?" he asked.

Horrified everything was happening so quickly, Bonnie turned to her father."I have to go." she insisted.

"I said "no"." Rudy commanded, angering Bonnie, which manifested itself by her breaking a light with her magic, prompting fear into her father's eyes.

"Stop telling me what to do." Bonnie demanded as she tried walking out of the door, but she stopped short when she saw Abby blocking her way, her mother's eyes red with the surrounding veins protruding in the usual vamped out fashion.

"No one's going anywhere."Abby said angrily.

"Mom?" Bonnie asked confused at the sight of her mother stood at the door.

"Abby, please come in." Rudy said, making his vampire invitation clear before standing to one side to allow Abby to walk in.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked, still in shock at the presence of her mother.

"Your father called." Abbey said in a matter of fact fashion, before turning around, her vampire features having already disappeared. "Who's professor Shane?" her mother asked. "And what has he been teaching you?" she wanted to know.

"Bonnie, we don't have time for this." Jeremy insisted.

"This is a family matter." Rudy told Jeremy who turned to face the Mayor.

"My sister's in trouble. We need Bonnie's help." Jeremy explained.

"My daughter is done helping Elena Gilbert." Abby spat. "Now, get out!" she snarled at Jeremy.

"Mom!" Bonnie pleaded as Jeremy took a step back, headed for the door.

"Just go, okay? Wait outside, I'm right behind you." Bonnie promised Jeremy, who left to wait outside for her as she closed the door, before turning and facing her mom. "You wanna talk? Let's talk." Bonnie said, folding her arms.

"Answer my question. What lies has this professor been telling you?"Abby asked.

"Dad needs to mind his own business." Bonnie glared at her father before turning back to face Abbey. "He had no right to call you here."

"It's not just your father, Bonnie. Witches talk, word gets around."Abby told her.

"I found a new way to practice. It's unconventional, but I can handle myself, I promise." Bonnie explained.

"That's not what Shane said." Rudy told Abbey, as he sat down on the chair opposite the couch.

"Shane is sitting in a jail cell right now. You're going to take his word over mine?" Bonnie asked.

"I have warned you about dark magic before."Abby chided.

"It's not dark magic, it's Expression and I need it!" Bonnie exclaimed, in frustration. "We found a cure, Mom. There's a cure for vampirism. And I can do the spell to access it. I can save you, but I have to go...now." she pleaded.

"I'm not the one that needs to be saved. You are."Abby said before she vamp-sped over to Bonnie and placed her hand filled with herbs over Bonnie's mouth, drugging her daughter, as Bonnie passed out.

Rudy picked Bonnie up and laid her on the couch as Abby walked over to the dresser at the other side of the room and took out a bag of herbs from her purse and began crushing them using the mortar and pestle Bonnie kept there. Rudy stroked Bonnie's head to make sure she was safely sleeping before he got up and walked over to his ex wife.

"You're drugging her?" Rudy asked quietly, his voice full of concern.

"Just enough to keep her down until I can get some witches here to clean her mind from that poison that professor's been teaching her."Abby explained as she continued working the mortar and pestle.

"That's not happening." Bonnie said angrily from behind, surprising both Rudy and Abby, and prompting them to turn around to face their angry daughter.

"Bonnie, please."Abby begged as Bonnie held out her hand, using the same magic on Abby as she'd used on Kol earlier that day. Abby gasped in pain, as the mortar and pestle broke in her hands, pieces of clay falling all over the floor as Abby doubled up in pain whilst Bonnie forced her bones to break. Abbey screamed, as she fell to the floor, Rudy got down on his knees and put his arm around her to comfort her.

"I don't belong to the spirits anymore. I belong to myself. Sorry." Bonnie warned them as she left the house, and her shocked parents, picking up her phone from the dresser where her father had put it, and collecting her bag from the hallway, opening the door to be greeted outside by a patiently waiting Jeremy.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Bonnie said as she got out her phone to text Elena to let her know they were on their way, before they set off to Jeremy's house.

"Klaus is on his way." Stefan said returning to the kitchen, where Elena jumped off the island and nervously placed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, whilst Damon stood a little way away from her with his glass of bourbon, both acting as if they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"How long did he say he'll be?" Damon asked.

"He didn't, but I doubt he'll be long. He didn't sound too happy." Stefan replied taking in the rather unkempt appearance of both his brother and Elena, which was a recent development as they'd looked fine when he'd left to go to talk to Klaus. The reason for the change made Stefan feel sick with rage at them flaunting their relationship so blatantly in front of him, and making him feel decidedly awkward "Will you guys be fine to deal with Klaus if I go now to get the headstone from Rebekah?" he asked, desperate to get away from the two of them.

"Yeah...Yeah...That's fine." Elena said hesitantly. "Isn't it Damon?" she asked, glancing at Damon, then back to Stefan as she nervously ran her hand through her hair.

"As long as Sabrina is here, we'll be fine." Damon smiled before lifting his glass up and then taking a sip. "Any word from her?" he asked as Elena went over to her purse and rummaged through until she found her phone.

Elena unlocked her phone and saw a message from Bonnie that had been sent ten minutes ago. "Be there in ten minutes." she read out to the brothers. "That was ten minutes ago, she should be here any time." she added.

"We're fine here bro, you go and um...use your ahem...charms to remove that tombstone from Barbie Klaus." Damon winked at Stefan.

"Fine." Stefan harrumphed. "I'll see you back at the house shortly." he said as he walked out of the front door as fast as he could.

"See you later bro. Don't take too long trying to 'pump' that information out of her." Damon laughed to himself until he saw Elena folding her arms, and his face dropped.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Nothing." Damon said innocently as he walked over to Elena and wrapped his arms around her waist. "He's got the tougher task, we've got Sabrina on our side and he's got his hero hair to fall back on. Bonnie might be a ticking time-bomb right now, but I trust her over Stefan's hero hair any day. He's going to need to use every trick in the book to get that tombstone from Rebekah."

"True." Elena agreed.

"So what was your devious plan?" Damon whispered, just in case anyone was nearby.

"When you go to get Connor and Professor Shane, leave me at the boarding house." Elena told him. "I'm going to undagger Kol myself and leave him a note to tell him to stay where he is until we've left." she said.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Because then we have the dagger whilst we're looking for the cure. If anything goes wrong we have leverage." Elena explained. "If Jeremy does it, Kol or Klaus will get hold of the dagger and ash."

"Won't Kol be really pissed off and kill us?" Damon frowned.

"No." Elena smiled. "I kinda think he already knows that I'm going to do it, in fact I think he wants me to do it." she said bending down next to Kol's body. "He had the white oak stake with him. He knows I've seen it because he purposely showed it to just me, so if I leave it with him, then he knows he can trust us." she explained as she lifted the sheet and showed Damon the stake held inside Kol's jacket.

"You know, we could just stake him with the white oak stake, right now." Damon suggested as Elena replaced the sheet, stood up, folded her arms and raised one eyebrow. "But then Klaus would be really pissed." he grimaced as Elena nodded at him, when they heard the door suddenly open. Damon and Elena exchanged worried glances and rushed out of the kitchen, both hoping it was Bonnie and not Klaus.

"Hey Elena." Bonnie said as she and Jeremy appeared through the door. "Damon." she nodded coolly at the vampire.

"Sabrina." he grinned back.

"Is everything ready?" Elena asked Bonnie. "Klaus should be here anytime soon."

"Yeah." Bonnie replied. "All we need to do is invite him in and lure him into the living room." she explained.

"I'm sure we can do that." Damon nodded, just as they all heard a noise outside. Elena and Jeremy rushed to the front door and opened it, finding Klaus stood on the other side, eyes blazing with anger.

"What did you do?" Klaus asked in an angry whisper as he saw Kol's body on the kitchen floor, daggered and covered in a sheet.

"We didn't have a choice." Elena explained nervously, backing away from the door, holding her hand out and pushing Jeremy behind her protectively.

"Lies! He never would've gotten inside if you hadn't have set a trap for him." Klaus cried angrily.

"You said you were going to put him down too." Elena

"I was going to make him suffer on my terms!" Klaus shouted, waving his finger, a sign of his fury.

"You're never going to get to the cure. You'll never be able to make any more hybrids." Elena taunted him, edging even further back.

"You really think I care for an instant about my bloody hybrids?" Klaus snarled furiously. "I want the cure so I can destroy it. I would've killed you all the second we dug it up." he admitted, as he suddenly fell to the ground, crying out in pain from the same use of magic Bonnie had used on Kol and her mother. Klaus was writhing around on the Gilbert porch on his knees, when Bonnie walked up to him smiling.

"Invite him in." Bonnie cried out. "Do it!" she demanded as she used her magic to control Klaus and force him to get to his feet.

"Come in." Jeremy said nervously as Elena pushed her brother even further inside the house and away from Klaus.

Still using her controlling magic, Bonnie pulled Klaus inside the house and temporarily immobilized him.

"Living room. Go!" Bonnie cried out as she, Elena and Jeremy ran into the living room.

Finally released from the binding spell over him, Klaus followed them to the living room, however the three of them continued to run through the living and then into the kitchen where Damon was stood waiting over Kol's body. Klaus however, was unable to follow, as Bonnie had spelled an invisible wall between the living room and kitchen. Elena, Bonnie, Jeremy walked through the hallway to leave as Klaus tried to follow them through the living room exit, but he was met by another invisible barrier, angrily he punched at the air, but his fist met with the magic wall.

"Witch, you can't do this to me." Klaus screamed at Bonnie.

"You have no idea what I can do now." Bonnie sneered back.

"I will hunt all of you to your end! Do you hear me? Do you!?" Klaus shouted as he continued to punch the magic barrier before stopping and turning around as he became distracted and his attention focused on the kitchen where Damon was picking up Kol's body and throwing him over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Klaus screamed at Damon.

"I think I'll take this." Damon said smiling. "Call it leverage and all." he smirked as he Elena, Bonnie, and Jeremy leave the house, as Klaus continued to pound against Bonnie's magic barrier futilely.

"You'll all fucking pay for this." he cried after them. "You mark my words." he added, however his protests were in vain. The door was locked and Bonnie, Damon, Elena and Jeremy were all heading back to the boarding house to plan their next move towards their differing goals.

  
  


 


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon, Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy all arrived at the Salvatore boarding house a little while later. Stefan had yet to return with the headstone and Damon had already placed Kol's body in the basement. All that was left was for Damon and Elena to pack and wait for Stefan so they could kidnap Connor and rescue Professor Shane, before setting of in search of the cure.

"Well I'm going to shower, change and pack whilst I wait for my little brother." Damon announced. "I'm not expecting luxury shower facilities wherever we're going, so I'm going to enjoy mine one last time for the next few days." he added. "You coming Elena?" he asked winking, as Elena looked over to Jeremy and Bonnie both sat down on the couch, not knowing where to look.

"You guys don't mind?" Elena said timidly. "I do need to pack."

"Whatever Elena." Jeremy sighed as Elena and Damon made their way upstairs.

"I think that translates as 'We're going to have sex because we might not get any for a while wherever we're going.'" Elena overheard Jeremy say to Bonnie as she walked through Damon's bedroom door.

"They know exactly what we're up to." Elena complained under her voice as she closed the door behind her.

"I wouldn't be sure that they know 'exactly' what we're doing." Damon insisted walking over to Elena. "Neither of them have had the level of practice we've had." he winked. "I suspect Judgy hasn't had any at all." he smirked as he wrapped his arms around Elena's waist.

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about." Elena pouted. "What makes you think that she's still a virgin?" she asked suspiciously.

"She'd be a lot less Judgy if she had a better sex life." Damon insisted as Elena rolled her eyes.

"Seriously Damon?" she asked. "I can't believe we're having this conversation." she said.

"Well let's stop having this conversation then." Damon suggested. "We need to have a shower remember?" he said as he let go of Elena's waist and walked over to the shower, shedding his shirt along the way, causing Elena's jaw to drop. She'd never get enough of the sight of Damon's naked chest, especially when his jeans were hanging low off his hips, revealing his treasure trail. Elena licked her lips as she watched him switch the shower on and purposely undress suggestively before stepping inside and his nakedness being partially covered by the frosted glass. Unable to control herself, Elena removed her own clothes in record time to join him, earning her a smirk of satisfaction from Damon.

"What's that look?" she asked him suspiciously, as he walked over to her, his body already slick from the water. Without saying a word, he grabbed hold of her around the waist and pulled her under the spray with him as his mouth attacked hers with such passion and ferocity, she'd have thought he'd be a starving man, having his first meal in over a week.

Damon gently stroked Elena's cheek whilst he kissed her as his erection poked into her belly. Elena ran her hands up Damon's wet torso, behind his neck and into his wet raven locks. Suddenly Damon moved so that he was stood behind her as he mover her hair so her wet locks were cascading down just one shoulder, allowing him access to her neck, which he began scraping his blunt teeth against, before swapping it for soothing licks, practically sending Elena into ecstasy. With one hand he began to gently circle her clit and the other he played with one of her nipples. Elena threw her head back, leaning against Damon's naked body as she slipped her hand behind her back and began to gently pump Damon's cock, earning her a moan of pleasure from him.

"We don't have much time." he said seductively as he nibbled Elena's ear.

"I thought we we're multi-tasking." she joked as she began to pump harder, whilst Damon slipped a finger inside her, causing her to moan as she could already feel the pressure of an impending orgasm mounting.

"God you're wet." he moaned as he pushed Elena so her back was up against the glass front of the shower and got down on his knees and began spreading her folds, before his mouth attacked her nub whilst his fingers worked their magic inside her. He quickly built her up as she felt heat pooling inside her stomach and the burning hot spasms of her orgasm contracting around Damon's fingers.

"Ah...Fuck...Damon!" she cried out as she began to shake from the intensity of the pleasure he was giving her. However, as wonderful as it was, it could only ever be short lived, as soon as she began to come down from her high, Damon stood up and sucked her juices from is fingers.

"God you taste good." he said as he kissed her passionately, before picking her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he thrust into her deeply, causing Elena's back to arch in pleasure.

"More..." she cried as Damon began setting a faster pace whilst her back was still up against the frosted glass of the shower front.

"Fuck...you're tight and wet." Damon panted. "I'm not gonna last long." he said as he rested his head in the crook of her neck, licking and sucking on her jugular.

"Me neither if you keep doing that." Elena moaned. "Imagine if someone walked into your bedroom and caught us." she said breathlessly.

Damon lifted his head up to look at her carefully before smirking. "They'd be fucking jealous of our sex life." he grinned as he managed to slip his hand between them and began to play with Elena's clit prompting Elena to feel the sensation of another orgasm, almost immediately after the first. From experience she knew this one was likely to be even more powerful than the the one before. "Can you imagine complete strangers watching us?" Damon whispered seductively. "They'd all end up cumming just by how hot we look and from the way I can make you scream." he added smugly. For some reason those words seriously affected Elena as her body became rigid and hear pussy became white hot as the pleasurable contractions, that only Damon could give her began to take control over her body. The pleasure was so intense, that her only response was a silent scream as her pussy began milking Damon's cock, sending him tumbling over the edge. "Fuck...Elena..." he cried as he screwed his face up the way Elena loved, signaling his release.

They stood there like that for a minute before Damon slipped out of Elena and she stood on her own two feet, a little wobbly at first from the intensity of the two orgasms Damon had just given her, as he walked over to the little shelf in the wall where he kept the shower gel and took some of Elena's and began to wash her down.

"You don't think they heard?" Elena asked feeling a little self conscious as she referred to Bonnie and Jeremy, whilst Damon lathered her body down, sending tingles down her spine.

"Nope. My room is almost soundproof." he reassured her. "This bathroom is too far away from the parlor for even vampire hearing to hear us." he added, as he swapped Elena's shower gel for his own and put some in her hand to return the favor.

"I'm going to have to make it clear to Stefan that taking this cure isn't going to make any difference." Elena sighed as she washed Damon's body down. "Maybe I should tell him when I began having feelings for you." she suggested.

"Well make sure you do it while I'm not around." Damon warned her. "I don't want to die just yet." he joked as he reached out and got his shampoo and handed it to Elena for her to wash his hair.

"At some point everyone is going to ask why we're searching for the cure if I don't want to be human." Elena said as she began washing Damon's hair. "What do we say?" she asked.

"Well, we could tell them that it means that should at any point in the future we decide that we want to settle down and have a family, we have that option." he suggested.

"Nobody would buy that?" Elena scoffed.

"Why not?" Damon asked as he stood under the shower to rinse his hair, before reaching out for Elena's shampoo and putting some in his own hand to return the favor.

"Who'd believe you'd want kids?" Elena asked as she turned around and Damon began massaging the shampoo into her hair.

"If we were human, do you think I'd want to have kids with you?" Damon asked as he pulled Elena back under the spray.

"I guess." Elena said after thinking about it for a moment. "But we're not human." she said sadly turning to look at Damon.

"I know, but if we had the cure, it would always be an option." he told her, kissing her chastely on the lips. "We'd always have that potential future. I guess our piece of humanity to strive to be good, so that when the time is right, we'd be ready."

"Are you regretting offering to help Kol?" Elena asked, surprised by Damon's confession.

"If what Kol says about Silas is true, then we don't really have a choice." Damon said sadly, resting his forehead against hers. "This Silas guy scares me, which is why I know we need to get Sabrina away from Professor Creepy, who despite knowing what Silas is, still wants to unleash him on this world." he told her. "Look, I think we should see what happens, and if we can have the cure and destroy Silas, then I'll be happy." he smiled as he reached over and turned the water off.

"So if it was an option, taking the cure to have a family, you'd consider it?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Not yet." Damon admitted. "But who knows what the future might bring? So eventually yes." he smiled.

"I love you." Elena whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you too." Damon said as he kissed her once more. "But if we stay in here any longer, we won't even get going to find that cure as you're beginning to make me hard again." he winked as Elena pouted and they got out of the shower, to get ready to search for the cure.

Stefan arrived at Rebekah's house a short while later. He wasn't sure how Rebekah would take the fact that Jeremy had daggered Kol, it was a sensitive subject for the female Original vampire.

"I don't believe you. How did Jeremy manage to dagger him? Kol is way too smart to let some idiot teenage boy and a stupid girl get the better of him." Rebekah cried after Stefan had told her what happened.

"Listen, Rebekah, they didn't have a choice. Kol started this when he went after Professor Shane and Damon. He went after you too, do you remember? I mean, he was never going to let us find the cure." Stefan explained.

"So you knew? This whole night, you knew?" Rebekah eyed him suspiciously.

"I'm not gonna let the people that I care about get hurt." Stefan answered truthfully. "Not Jeremy, not Elena, not even Damon. And you can hate me for it, but now he can't hurt you, either. And I want us to find this cure together, you and me." he said, gently placing his arms reassuringly on her shoulders. "Not just for Elena, but for you. So that you can have what you want, be what you want. Be human again. Everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Stefan asked.

"Why would I trust you?" Rebekah asked, cocking her head.

"I don't know. I guess I could give you my word, but at the end of the day, you just need to take a leap." Stefan promised her. "Look, do you want to find the cure or not?" he asked. Rebekah just gave him a small nod in reply and looked to the floor like a naughty child. "Good." Stefan smiled at her. "Now you go pack your things, then bring the headstone. We're leaving tonight." he told as she looked back up at him in surprise.

"So soon?" she asked.

"We're don't have much time." Stefan explained. "Bonnie's little jail cell won't keep Klaus forever. We need to be long gone by the time he gets out. Preferably already back with the cure." he added.

"Fine." Rebekah sighed as she began to walk over to the stairs to go to her bedroom and pack. "You make yourself at home whilst you wait. I'm going to shower and pack. I shouldn't take too long." she smiled and began walking up the stairs leaving Stefan alone in Rebekah's living room, when she suddenly stopped and looked back at Stefan. "Unless you decide to join me if you want." she said suggestively. It took Stefan the whole duration of five seconds to make up his mind to join her. Why should he care, it wasn't as if Damon and Elena were hiding their relationship. Hell, he wouldn't be shocked if they were having their own pre-trip fuck right now. Why shouldn't he? Stefan got up off the couch and made his way to Rebekah's bedroom, hearing water from the shower, he began taking his clothes to join her.

Jeremy was nervously pacing around the Salvatore boarding house parlor, whilst Elena and Bonnie were sat on the couch watching him and Damon was pouring himself a drink at the wet bar.

"What if it doesn't work?"Jeremy asked Bonnie.

"Where's that Gilbert optimism?" Damon laughed at Jeremy who stopped pacing.

"You'll be fine staying with Matt." Elena reassured her brother.

"The spell is going to stay for the next few days. Hopefully we'll be back before he's released," Bonnie explained as suddenly the front door opened and Stefan walked in carrying Silas' tombstone. He closed the door and made his way to the parlor to join the rest of the group.

"Looks like I didn't miss much. Got the Silas headstone." Stefan lifted up the rock in his hand for show before setting it down on a table as Damon watched him warily.

"Bonnie's spell worked." Elena told Stefan. "Klaus is trapped in our living room."

"Temporarily." Bonnie added. "I drew on the new moon to bind the spell. We've got three days to find that cure – four, max." she explained.

"If we don't, we might as well look up Katherine Pierce and see if she wants some company in hiding, 'cause he will come after us." Jeremy warned them.

"You'll be fine Jer." Elena said. "Klaus can't get into Matt's place, and Tyler and Caroline will be looking out for you." she said.

"And Klaus is soft on Blondie, which means that's as good as any protection you can get." Damon smirked at Jeremy, earning him a glare from Elena, who turned to look at her brother once more.

"Anyway, we should be back by then." she reassured him. "Now that we've got the tombstone, all we need is professor Shane and Connor, and then we'll have everything we need. We just need to escape before Rebekah realizes Stefan stole the headstone from her." Elena said.

"Yeah, I didn't, uh...I didn't steal it from her or anything." Stefan admitted.

"What? Why not?" Elena asked. "How did you get it?" she eyed him curiously.

"I didn't need to steal it. She's on our side." Stefan smiled smugly.

"On our side? Did you really just say that?" Elena got up and walked over to get a little closer to him.

"Yeah, she handed over the headstone." Stefan told her. "I mean, she wants to find this cure more than any of us." he explained.

"Why would you possibly think that we could trust her" Elena frowned.

"Let me guess, she pledged her allegiance to you while you were naked in the sack?" Damon said, folding his arms and smirking as everyone looked at him in shocked silence at this new development, Elena most of all looked shocked and hurt.

"I bet you were just dying to get that out, weren't you, Damon?" Stefan sneered.

"Oh, was that supposed to be a secret?!" Damon said sarcastically. " Oops. Maybe you should have made that a little clearer while you were punching me in the face." he went on as he put his hand over his mouth theatrically.

"Stop it, both of you." Elena cried.

"Now, why don't you tell her to calm down, Damon?" Stefan told Damon condescendingly, prompting Damon to punch Stefan in the face, knocking him down in the process. Stefan got back up and hit Damon back when they were brought to a sudden stop by Rebekah walking in.

"Play nice boys. We've got work to do." Rebekah grinned. "What shall we do first, rescue the Professor or kidnap the hunter?" she asked.

Damon and Bonnie stood in front of the fire in the parlor whilst everyone watched. Taking his hands, Bonnie closed her eyes and began to chant under her breath. The lights in the candles which had been placed strategically around them, joined by a line of salt, began burning much brighter. The flames stood over a foot tall, which seemed impossible for the size of the candle's. For once Damon was feeling nervous, a little fearful of what Bonnie was doing. He suspected she wasn't in complete control of her magic, and was worried that she might be pissed at him for any number of reasons that she might just literally set him on fire.

"So what does this do?" Damon asked Bonnie gingerly, prompting Bonnie to open her eyes and glare at him.

"It is supposed to protect you from Connor." "Bonnie informed him.

"Can I trust you?" Damon asked. "I mean, you're not doing this for me out of the goodness of you're heart. You'd rather see the hunter kill me." he said.

"Your right." Bonnie smirked. "I would rather see the hunter kill you. However she wouldn't, in fact she'd be devastated." Bonnie cocked her head over to where Elena is standing. "Plus you're the strongest vampire that I trust to get Connor and not run off with him." she explained. "However _you_ need to stop interrupting me." she growled, prompting a nod of agreement from Damon as Bonnie went back to her chanting for another moment. "Done!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"So if he tries to attack me, what happens?" Damon asked.

"He'll meet with an invisible barrier, similar to a suit of armor." Bonnie explained. "It's only temporary." she went on. "I can only make them last a couple of hours."

"We'll take the SUV." Damon looked to Bonnie before turning to Stefan and Rebekah.. "And you guys can take something from Klaus's collection to fetch Professor Creepy." he said.

"Shane!" Bonnie cried indignantly. "It's Professor Shane."

"Whatever." Damon shrugged and shook his head, before returning his focus on his brother. "You both good on the plan?" Damon asked Rebekah and Stefan.

"Either Compel them or snap their necks." Rebekah said in a bored tone. "Not exactly hard to remember." she added.

"No touching Liz if she's around." Damon warned them. "Although I believe Blondie managed to keep her mom at home and out of trouble for the night." he added as he opened the front door and gestured for Bonnie to walk out. Elena rushed over towards Damon.

"You be careful." she warned as she grabbed his face and they began to kiss as if they were never going to see each other again.

"I'll be fine." he whispered after they pulled back, ignoring the looks they were getting from their friends and family. "I've got Sab...Bonnie here to protect me." Damon corrected himself and smiled as he kissed Elena on the forehead. "We shouldn't be too long, it's not far from here." he said as she grabbed him and chastely kissed him once more on the lips.

"I guess we'd better get a move on." Rebekah sneered as she pushed past Elena and Damon and walked out of the door. "Are you coming or are you planning on leaving me to do all of the hard work?" she called out to Stefan.

"I'm on my way." he said as he quickly walked past Damon and Elena, trying unsuccessfully to ignore them, as they headed out towards Klaus's mansion to collect a suitable car to use to kidnap Professor Shane.

"Excuse me." Bonnie suddenly said, interrupting them. "Can we get going?" she asked. "I'm getting old standing here waiting for you two." she said as she walked outside and waited next to the Salvatore SUV for Damon.

"Look, I gotta go before she hexes me." Damon joked to Elena as he gave her one last peck on the lips before following Bonnie and jumping into the drivers seat of the car.

"You ready?" he turned and looked at Bonnie.

"As ready as I'll ever be when it comes to having to share a car with you." she complained. "Let's just go." she said, and with that Damon pulled out of the driveway of the Salvatore boarding house and set off towards Pastor Young's farm.

As soon as everybody had left, Elena ran back down into the basement with Jeremy and into the room where they'd lain Kol's body. Elena pulled the sheet back, and taking hold of the dagger with both hands, she carefully removed it. Elena handed the dagger to Jeremy who took it back upstairs, away from the Original and into Elena's back pack. Elena removed the white oak stake from Kol's jacket pocket and sat back on the chair in the room for a few moments to wait and see if he woke soon. It had come from experience that the shorter the time the Original had been daggered, it usually didn't take as long for them to recover.

Whether or not her theory was correct about the recovery time, her gamble paid off, Kol's body quickly returned to normal and he suddenly woke only a couple of minutes later, taking in a huge gasp of breath and sitting up, staring at Elena who was sat with the white oak stake in her lap.

"I thought we had a deal!" Kol said angrily as he looked at her playing with the stake.

"We do." Elena replied. "I just need to make sure we're on the same page." she explained.

"Go on." Kol offered.

"Jeremy has the dagger upstairs." Elena told him. "It's leverage. Rebekah is coming with us. There was nothing I could do." she explained. "It appears she and Stefan have been..." her voice trailed off.

"He's been playing the jealous ex, causing trouble with you and your new fella whilst screwing around with my sister?" Kol raised an eyebrow, as Elena nodded in a silent reply. "Look, I'm not some stupid reality TV show relationship mediator darling." Kol sighed. "All I want to know is why you have undaggered me before you leave and have taken the white oak stake from my pocket. I was hoping you'd leave it there as a measure of good faith." he continued. "Maybe I was wrong to trust you."

"Here." Elena handed over the white oak stake to a confused looking Kol, who was still sat on the floor, half covered by the sheet. "It seems we are on the same page." she explained. "I'm going to quickly tell you what is going on." Kol nodded as he took the stake from her hand and put it back in his pocket. "We don't have much time." she told him. "Bonnie used the new moon to trap Klaus in my house for three, maybe four days before he can escape." Elena said. "Rebekah had the tombstone, which is now here, she and Stefan have gone to get Professor Shane from the police station. They should be back soon." she told him. "Bonnie and Damon have gone to get the hunter. Bonnie put a protection spell on Damon so that he can sedate the hunter when they kidnap him to take him to the find Silas." Elena added.

"Why don't you get you're friend to try casting a binding spell on a piece of rope?" Kol suggested.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked. "How do you know about this stuff?" she eyed him suspiciously.

"My mother was a witch." Kol sighed. "That meant we were all witches, we just forfeited our powers before we had chance to practice magic so we could become vampire." he explained. "As a result I became fascinated with magic and chose to spend a lot of time with witches over the years."

"Which is why you know so much about Silas." Elena concluded as Kol nodded in reply. "So what is this binding spell?" she asked.

"All Bonnie has to do is put a strong binding spell on a rope and wrap it around his wrists. He should obey whoever is at the other end of the rope." Kol explained.

"And how do I explain where I've gotten this idea from?" Elena asked. "I know nothing about magic."

"Yes you do." Kol told her. "You saw what happened to me today. She was able to control me. Yes she was using pain, but she used a binding agent. What was it?" he asked.

"Water I think." Elena said.

"And she tied that Professor's life to that girl." Kol added. "It shouldn't be too hard for her to figure out what to do. They're called binding spells." he explained. "She's been channeling Expression and she's become very power..." Kol stopped as they both looked up and at each other as Elena placed her finger on her lips. Kol nodded and stayed silent for a moment but they didn't hear another noise.

"Look, I'm gonna get going." Elena said standing up. "I don't want to risk anyone finding me here." she said as she walked towards the door.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine down here playing dead." Kol smirked. "Just be careful and don't lose that dagger. Nik is going to be mad as hell as it is. Losing a dagger and he'd be apoplectic." he warned.

"I won't. I'll be careful." Elena reassured him as she left the room and Kol lay back down and placed the sheet back over his head.

Elena was sitting alone on the couch near the fire in the parlor with a glass of whiskey in her hand, she'd sent Jeremy to Matt's and was waiting for everyone to return. Taking a sip of the contents of the glass made her smile, only a few weeks ago she'd hated this stuff, the only time she'd liked it was when she tasted it's warmth from Damon's mouth that one night in the motel in Denver. Elena smiled to herself as she relived her and Damon's activities in the motel earlier that day as they'd tried to relive that night but without Jeremy interrupting them. Suddenly the door opened and Stefan, Rebekah and Professor Shane walked in.

"Sit!" Rebekah commanded of the Professor.

"What am I doing here? Are you going to kill me? " the Professor asked in a panicked voice as both Stefan and Rebekah ignored him, whilst Rebekah went upstairs and Stefan walked over to the wet bar and poured two glasses of whiskey. "I'm the only one who can help you find the cure." he begged.

"It's okay." Elena reassured him. "It was a rescue mission so that we can find the cure."

"But we don't have everything we need." he said looking up at Stefan as Stefan handed him one of the glasses, which the Professor accepted and took a nervous gulp from it.

"You mean this?" Rebekah said, as she walked in with the tombstone.

"How?...Where?..." Professor Shane stammered.

"Oh don't lie." Rebekah said sarcastically. "You know exactly where we found it." she said. "And the hunter should be here any minute now."

"Stefan...Can we speak for a moment, in private?" Elena asked deciding now would be a good time to talk with Stefan without Damon being around and with the final part of her trying to convince everyone that they were genuinely out to get the cure.

"Sure." Stefan said setting off to his room, as Elena got up from the couch and followed him, glass of whiskey still in hand, she was going to need some Dutch courage for this conversation. Once they'd gotten to Stefan's bedroom, Elena closed the door behind them. "So, what do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I just want to make it clear that whatever happens once we get the cure, nothing changes." Elena told him. "I'm in love with Damon and I have been for a long time. I doubt that taking the cure is going to magically change that." she added.

"Is that it? Is that all you wanted to say?" Stefan asked through gritted teeth.

"No." Elena said. "If you're sleeping with Rebekah just for revenge, then it won't work, she'll just hurt you like she did with Damon. It's not going to upset me unless she does hurt you." she added.

"Why?" Stefan asked. "It upset you when Damon slept with Rebekah."

"That was different." Elena said, lowering her voice.

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"Because I was already in love with Damon at the time, and I'd been in love with for quite a while before that." Elena admitted.

"When?" Stefan frowned.

"My eighteenth birthday." Elena said grimacing and looking to the ground.

"That's when you started to fall for Damon?" he asked, however Elena shook her head, tears in her eyes. "When did you start looking at Damon differently?" Stefan asked.

"Please Stefan, no." Elena begged, not wanting to hurt him any more. She realized that this conversation was taking a turn for the worse.

"WHEN DID YOU START LOOKING AT MY BROTHER DIFFERENTLY?" Stefan shouted, causing Elena to jump.

Elena gulped back her tears. "When we danced together at the pageant." she admitted, closing her eyes, not wanting to look at Stefan.

"You wanted him while we were together?" Stefan asked in disgust, as Elena nodded guiltily.

"Please don't tell me you imagined him when you were with me." he closed his eyes, not wanting to know the answer.

"I..." Elena tried, but she knew that she couldn't lie to him.

"What does he have that I don't?" Stefan asked sadly. "Is it the sex?

"No!" Elena said defiantly. "He's the missing piece. Ever since my parents died, something inside me was gone, missing, dead." she explained. "You helped me live again, but Damon... Damon is the one who makes me feel alive. And he always has, even right back to when we went to Georgia."

"And how does the cure fit into all of this?" Stefan asked suspiciously. "If you don't need or want to be human again, why are you searching for the cure? It doesn't make sense."

"I still want the option for the future." Elena explained. She knew now was the performance to convince Stefan why she and Damon wanted the cure. "Right now I'm not ready for the cure. I don't want to be Klaus's blood bag." she told him. "I want to study, travel the world and experience life. And as a vampire I can do that without the concerns a normal human being has. But that doesn't mean I still don't have human desires." Elena smiled. "One day, Damon and I may decide we want the option to settle down and have a family of our own." this last part caused Stefan to laugh, Elena frowned at his response.

"Damon? Settling down and having a family?" Stefan laughed. "Are we talking about the same Damon Salvatore?" he asked.

"You clearly don't know your brother very well." Elena's face became serious as she folded her arms. "We have discussed this. I'm not saying we'd want a family tomorrow, or next year or even in a hundred years. But that cure is our hopes and dreams for our future, it gives us the best of both worlds." she smiled.

"And you really think you'll be able to cope if you kill someone?" Stefan asked. "I mean, becoming human again after the guilt consumes you?"

"I'll just have to make sure I don't kill anyone." Elena told him. "Damon has promised to make sure that I never kill during a feed. He intends to help me refine my feeding skills." she smiled.

"Well it sounds like you've gotten everything planned out." Stefan said bitterly. "If you'll excuse me, I need another drink." he said as he swallowed the entire contents of his glass in one gulp and walked out of his bedroom, leaving Elena stood there alone, until she heard a noise outside. Realizing it was Damon and Bonnie returning, she rushed downstairs to meet him in the foyer and threw her arms around Damon's neck.

"I missed you." Elena said quietly. "Stefan knows why we're looking for the cure." she whispered in Damon's ear before kissing him chastely on the lips.

"Will you two get a room already?" Bonnie complained from behind Damon, causing Elena to giggle.

"Do we have time?" Damon joked.

"No we don't!" Stefan said as he waltzed into the foyer, Rebekah and Professor following closely behind. "We need to go now." he announced, prompting Damon to fake pout, whilst Stefan picked up his and Rebekah's bags.

"Fine, who's riding with who?" Damon sighed, turning to look at Bonnie.

"Me and Professor Shane will ride in the SUV with you two." she suggested.

"Can you two handle Connor?" Damon asked turning to Rebekah and Stefan.

"What do we need to do?" Rebekah asked as Damon took some syringes from his jacket. "Inject him with one of these every four hours. That should keep him down." he told her.

Elena turned to Bonnie, remembering Kol's suggestion. "Isn't there any like spell you can do to make Connor more, controllable?" she asked as Bonnie frowned. "I mean you could control the actions of Klaus earlier. Maybe you could spell a rope or something to make him do as he's told." she added.

"There might be something in one of the grimoires." Bonnie said as she walked out of the door and made her way over to the SUV. "I can check whilst we're on our way." she suggested.

"That sounds like a plan." Damon said, looking around at his everyone else.

"We'll keep him sedated until you find something." Stefan told Bonnie as he put his and Rebekah's bags in the trunk of the car they'd taken from Klaus.

Damon opened the rear door of the SUV and dragged Connor out, picked him up and carried him over to Rebekah, who placed him in the back seat of their car, before closing the door and getting in the front passenger seat.

"Where are we going anyway?" Stefan asked.

"It's a little island near Nova Scotia." Professor Shane suddenly said as everyone turned to look at him.

As soon as he heard the front door close from the basement, Kol threw the sheet off him and stood up. He looked through the other inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out photo's of Connor's tattoo and the decoded map and spell from where he'd earlier used Klaus's sword to decipher the details of the tattoo. Luckily for Kol, like his siblings he was able to read and speak fluent Aramaic. He'd left the sword where it was, making sure nobody was suspicious that he was up to something. He had everything he needed, to go, and if everything went according to plan, Silas would be destroyed, along with the cure, he just needed to get there before his sister and the rest of the blithering idiots who were looking to unleash untold chaos into the world for their own selfish needs. However, unbeknownst to them, he was already one step ahead of achieving that goal. He smiled at his own cunning as he walked out of the basement and up the stairs, before leaving the house and heading towards a small airfield where he already had a small plane waiting to take him to his destination.

  
  


 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Four hours after leaving the Salvatore boarding house, Kol arrived on the small unmarked island, two hundred miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. He'd flown from the small airfield north of Mystic Falls, which served for small private jets, and arrived at Halifax airport after a four hour flight. After that he'd rented a helicopter and transferred to the island to take a look around before Rebekah and the others came searching for the cure. If the intrepid group of cure hunters had flown, he may have about six hours on them. Trying to get a flight to carry seven was harder than getting a flight for one, although it wasn't beyond the realms of possibilities that one of the Salvatore brothers could fly. He'd be unable to learn as he'd been daggered during the age of air travel, however he was going to rectify the lack of flying by taking it up himself after he'd finished with Silas.

Kol's plan was to get the hunter out of the way, without killing him, as he didn't want to face the Hunter's Curse. However there were other ways of getting rid of him. He'd suggested the rope binding spell to Elena as it would make it easier for him to kidnap Connor as it meant he would be able to control the hunter, allowing him to die of enforced natural causes, bypassing the curse. The part of the plan he'd never revealed to Damon and Elena was that he was also planning to kidnap the Bennett witch and get her to perform the spell to raise Silas so that he could shove the cure down his throat and then kill him. He wasn't intending to hurt the witch, however if she died as a consequence of destroying Silas, well that just made her collateral damage. A small price to pay to save the world.

To set his plan in motion, the first thing Kol had to do was find somewhere to imprison the hunter, until the hunter died from hunger and thirst. He would provide bread and water to last a few mouthfuls, just to be thorough about the curse, but the hunter would never be found alive again. This was why Kol had made sure that he was there before the others. He needed to search for a suitable location, once found, all he had to do was wait until the party of cure hunters arrived.

The morning after they'd set off, Stefan, Damon, Elena, Bonnie, Rebekah, Professor Shane and Connor arrived on the island off Nova Scotia. They'd got a flight from Richmond, with a connection at Newark - New Jersey to Halifax. They'd then flown by chopper to the neighboring island and rowed out from there. The entire journey had taken a total of twelve hours and they were all exhausted, but they knew that with Klaus only on a temporary lock-down in the Gilbert house, they needed to quickly get a move on if they were going to get back before Bonnie's spell wore off.

The shingle beach they'd landed on was surrounded by thick forest, easy to get lost in whilst, a thought not lost on any of them as they took in their new surroundings, with a mixture of fear, curiosity and trepidation.

"Congratulations. We made it." Professor Shane said to more himself than anyone else as the rest of the intrepid group began unloading the small boats of their camping gear. Heading back towards the group he saw Damon sharpening a knife nearby on the beach as Professor Shane approached him.

"Couldn't they have hidden this cure in Hawaii? Where the hell did you take us?" Damon complained.

"Two hundred miles off the Nova Scotia mainland." Professor Shane told him. "If you recall, the whole point was to hide the cure on the world's most obscure, desolate island."

"Oh yeah?" Damon asked sarcastically. "I thought the whole point was that no one found Silas, the oldest, deadliest freak in the world."

"Yeah, that too." Professor Shane shrugged nonchalantly as he held up sunscreen and offered it to a confused looking Damon.

"Sunscreen?" Professor Shane offered.

"Is that a joke?" Damon asked.

"Right." Professor Shane said turning around and walking off towards the rest of the group doing various tasks.

Stefan was tying a knot with the rope Bonnie had spelled for Connor, like Elena had suggested, as Rebekah is stood above watching him, when she suddenly her attention was caught elsewhere and she began glaring at Elena as she walked past.

"You know, you're not really helping." Stefan complained as he looked up at Rebekah.

"You're perfectly capable of tying a knot." Rebekah retorted.

"You giving Elena the evil eye, it's not really helping." Stefan said again, trying to drive the point home.

"She put a dagger in my back. She's lucky all she's getting is the evil eye." Rebekah replied, her death stare not leaving Elena.

"You know I can hear you, right?" Elena called out to them, whilst walking away from them.

"You know I don't care, right?" Rebekah called back, prompting Elena to stop walking, and vamp-speed over towards Rebekah, grabbing her neck and pointing the dagger at her chest. However, Rebekah was stronger and faster, therefore she subsequently flipped Elena over and pushed her to the ground.

"Go ahead, try and dagger me again. But then you'd have to face your real problems." Rebekah sneered. "Like the fact that Stefan invited me here, himself. I guess he likes me again." she smirked before walking off.

Stefan offered his hand to help Elena up, but she turned over and ignored him, got up and walked away with an irritated look on her face whilst she brushed the sand and dirt from her pants. Elena walked back over to where she'd left her bag and shoved the dagger back into it, as Damon wandered over to join her.

"Looks like someone forgot her team-building exercises." Damon said in a half joking voice.

"I'm not apologizing for not wanting her here." Elena snapped as she took off her coat.

"You know Stefan just brought her here to make it seem like he's moving on." Damon tried to reassure her. "He wants you to think that he's over you, and he wants me to think that I can't get under his skin." he said.

"You know, you're right." Elena agreed. "With any luck, I'll only have to tolerate her for a few more days, and then we'll find the cure and I'll never have to deal with her again." she smiled.

"Human Rebekah...I can't imagine her without fangs." Damon frowned.

"Morning, sunshine. You look pathetic." Tyler chimed as walked into the front door of the Gilbert house to see Klaus stood in the living room, with an angry look on his face.

"Only until Bonnie's spell locking me in here wears off. Then I'll look different. Angrier, perhaps. Or I won't look like anything because I'll have gouged your eyeballs from their sockets." Klaus warned him.

"My friends will be back with the cure by then. So, I could shove it down your throat and make you mortal." Tyler threatened back.

"I'm an Original. What makes you think my entire vampire bloodline won't be cured along with me? I.e., you." Klaus asked.

"You know what I think? I think that's impossible." Tyler smiled. "I think the moment you stop being a vampire, our whole blood connection to you is broken, and your sire-line ceases to exist. So, whatever happens to you, happens only to you, which means I can kill your ass and no one else has to die. Although I am still debating just how to do it." he added, taunting the Original until Klaus vamp-sped towards Tyler, but was stopped by the barrier.

"I recommend drowning." Klaus sneered. "There's nothing quite like the feeling of someone fighting for something as basic as human breath. And let me tell you, your mother was a fighter." he added, almost sound impressed .

Suddenly Caroline walked in through the back door. "You're still here? What are you doing?" Caroline asked as soon as she saw Tyler.

"Gloating." Tyler smirked pouring himself a drink, as Klaus emerged from the living room.

"Hello, Caroline." Klaus said smiling as Caroline turned to glare at him for a moment before turning back to look at Tyler.

"Come home. Don't stoop to his level." Caroline pleaded.

"He destroyed my life. I plan on being present for every second of his misery until I can kill him myself." Tyler insisted.

"Fine then, gloat." Caroline sighed in frustration.

"Tyler's mother is dead. You daggered my brother. We're even." Klaus tried to reason with Caroline. "Call Bonnie. Get her to let me out of here." he asked,

"I will never, ever, help you." Caroline replied stubbornly.

"How quickly you forget the part where I saved Tyler from the misery of being a werewolf. Or the night your mother invited me into her home to save the life of her precious daughter." Klaus reminded her.

"How delusional are you?" Caroline cried out. "You killed his mother. And let's not forget that we're standing in a house where Elena's aunt Jenna used to live. Or did you think that your charm would make us forget how you killed her, too? You know what? No. I am not going to engage in this. You are not even worth the calories I burn talking to you." she lifted her hands in defeat.

Suddenly Klaus vamp-sped and picked up a nearby floor lamp, and impaled Caroline with it, before swinging her over to his side of the barrier and bit her neck, causing her to fall to the floor.

"No!" Tyler cried out helplessly.

"Now, that was definitely worth the calories." Klaus smirked, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his fingers.

Bonnie was taking pictures of Connor's tattoo with her phone whilst Stefan was stood holding the rope that Bonnie had magically spelled to make Connor placid and compliant with the wishes of the person who was holding it. Unfortunately this left only Stefan, Damon and Bonnie able to hold the rope as Elena and Rebekah wanted to kill each other and nobody trusted Professor Shane.

"Sorry, if there was a less awkward way to do this, I would." Bonnie apologized.

"No problem." Connor replied as Bonnie smiled.

"These symbols must have been left for the hunters, so they can find the cure." Bonnie explained. "And this must be the story of Qetsiyah and Silas." she said, looking at the other pictures on Connor's arm. "According to Shane, Silas asked Qetsiyah for help making a spell for immortality. She helped make him immortal, only to learn that he planned to use the same spell on another women, not her. When she found out, she freaked." she told them.

"So, Qetsiyah killed the other woman?" Stefan asked, prompting Bonnie to turn to look at him.

"Yeah. Silas was immortal. She couldn't kill him. So she trapped him in a cave, and buried him alive instead." Bonnie replied as she turned and began examining the tattoo once more.

"Does it say anything about the hunter's purpose in all this?" Connor asked as Professor Shane joined them.

"I was wondering when you'd ask. the Professor replied. "Qetsiyah created a cure for immortality, and then she buried it with Silas, hoping that he'd take it and die, and end up on the other side with her for all eternity. But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction. So, many centuries later, her descendants created the hunters to find him, cure him and kill him." he told them. "You know what? I'll explain on the hike." he turned around to face the rest of the group. "Come on. We gotta get going." Professor Shane called out signaling for them to start the hike through the woods.

Not long after they'd started out through the woods, Professor Shane got out his phone but to check for a signal, however there were no reception bars showing, just the words _no service._

"Satellite phone lost its signal." Professor Shane called out to the rest of the group.

"Well, that's a good sign." Damon said sarcastically.

"Is anyone else a little creeped out?" Elena asked, for a while she'd had the feeling someone was watching them.

"So then leave. Out of everyone, your presence is the least necessary." Rebekah smirked.

"Please don't start." Stefan sighed in frustration at the bickering women.

"I'm merely stating the facts." Rebekah said. "Connor has the spell on his body. Bonnie is the witch that unseals the cure. Shane is the human compass. You and I have the tombstone, which does god knows what. And Elena has no point." she smirked.

"What about me?" Damon asked.

"You have a nice behind." Rebekah said as Damon smirked.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Caroline cried as Tyler settled her down on a sofa.

"Hey, hey. Look at me. Look at me. I can fix this." Tyler promised.

"How? The only thing that can heal me is his blood! Oh my god..." Caroline began to panic.

"I know. I'll fix it." Tyler tried to reassure her.

Tyler walked over to face Klaus. "She'll die if you don't heal her." he said sadly.

"Okay." Klaus said as he bit into his wrist and extended his arms, palms up. "Beg me to save her life." he demanded.

"Is this what you want? To remind me that I'm powerless against you?" Tyler asked in disgust. "Fine. You win. I'm nothing. Now save her. Please." he begged.

"I'm sorry, mate. I didn't quite catch that." Klaus said holding his hand to his ear.

"Please." Tyler begged.

"Please..." Klaus repeated, waiting for the rest of Tyler's request.

"Please save her life." Tyler pleaded.

"See, now I think you're just telling me what I want to hear. I mean, you did call me pathetic earlier." Klaus said thoughtfully. "And wouldn't it be more pathetic of me to help now, knowing that hours ago, you announced your plan to kill me in a manner in which you're debating because you want it to have a certain amount of flair? I'm just asking." Klaus sneered.

"I'll be your slave again. I'll do whatever you want. Just help her." Tyler begged.

"No!" Klaus exclaimed.

"Get me out of here. I can't even look at him." Caroline said in disgust.

"Come on." Tyler said as he helped Caroline get up whilst Klaus watched them leave.

Hours later, darkness had fallen upon the island and the group was still hiking through the woods and had now resorted to using flashlights, whilst Professor Shane used a headlamp.

"Centuries after Qetsiyah died, there were these miners who were excavating a well on the island." Professor Shane told the group as they continued to walk through the woods. "Suddenly went mad. They bled themselves dry. No apparent reason. So, the legend spread that these miners, in exchange for a drop of their blood, saw visions of their lost loved ones in the well they were digging. The word traveled and explorers sought out the well to see if the legend was true." he finished.

"So, the well was magic?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, you know, some people believe the voices of lost souls were just a wind vortex whipping through the caves, and visions were caused by inhaling the island's poisonous plant life." Professor Shane told her.

"And what do you believe?" Elena asked.

"I believe in magic." Professor Shane told her. "My wife and my son died within months of each other. And so...I decided to try the well out for myself. I offered up my blood and I waited. I saw my wife. I saw her eyes, her smile. My blood let me see her again." he said smiling at the memory.

"Yeah, got it. Don't eat the poisonous flowers." Damon warned the group sarcastically.

"Wait. Stop. Stop! Stop." Professor Shane cried as everyone stopped. "Is everybody paying attention?" he asked as he picked up a large rock. "Our first lesson in survival." he told them as he threw the rock which triggered a net trap that swung up into the trees. "Stay together. Keep your eyes open." Professor Shane warned them.

"What is this place?" Stefan asked, his voice full of trepidation as they came upon a clearing with a couple of what looked like ram-shackled sheds.

"According to island lore, a group of college kids came here for spring break. A few weeks later, they were all found dead, completely drained of blood." Professor Shane smiled.

"Well, tragic for them, brilliant for us. Who sleeps where?" Rebekah asked as everyone started to settle around the site whilst Damon walked over to Professor Shane.

"Well, that's lovely. There's mystery traps in the woods and we're just gonna camp?" Damon said sarcastically.

"We're safer here than we are hiking in the dark." Professor Shane warned him.

"Let's just keep going. You know? Get the cure. Get in, get out. Where is it?" Damon whispered.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Professor Shane asked suspiciously.

"Stupid enough to raise an immortal witch, so I'd say...incredibly." Damon sneered.

"You know, I'm shocked you even want the cure, you don't strike me as the type who'd want to be human." Professor Shane frowned.

"You clearly don't know me very well, do you?" Damon said before walking over towards Elena.

"Shane doesn't know what he's talking about." Elena rubbed Damon's arm reassuringly.

"No, he doesn't. Well we'll find out tomorrow if he's right, then it'll be all unicorns and rainbows." Damon said snarkily.

"Do you really think that we can get this cure?" Elena whispered to Damon. "Do you think we can get rid of Silas"

"I don't know. And if we find it tomorrow, we'll find out." Damon replied as Elena kissed him, before pulling apart, she lovingly touched his face. Damon smiled in response and wrapped his arms around her.

Rebekah walked over to Stefan, who was sitting in front of a campfire holding the headstone and the rope which had Connor attached to the other end, asleep in a tent with just the rope poking out.

"Well, seven of us and no one thought to bring marshmallows. What are you doing with that?" Rebekah asked, nodding in the direction of the headstone.

"We're a day away from finding the cure. I'm not letting it out of my sight." Stefan told her, as they suddenly heard the sound of animals screaming in the distance, prompting to Rebekah grab onto Stefan's arm in fear.

"Did you hear that? I swear this place is haunted." Rebekah said shakily.

Stefan put the rope down and put his hand reassuringly on top of Rebekah's. "Um...you're crushing my arm." Stefan complained.

"Okay. You got me. I'm a scaredy cat." Rebekah laughed.

"You do realize you're an Original vampire, right?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Which is precisely why you should stop teasing me. I'm very powerful." Rebekah warned him in a joking manner. "What are you gonna do when Elena becomes human and comes running back to you? You said that you'd take the cure to be with her. You'd have children and grow old. Is that still true?" she asked, her voice turning serious.

"Well, why do you want to take it? Aren't you the perfect vampire?" Stefan asked back.

"Isn't it obvious? It's all an act, Stefan. Being a vampire is miserable. I would give anything to be human. Normal." Rebekah explained, as Stefan nodded in agreement.

"If I take the cure...it wouldn't be for her. It'd be for me." Stefan admitted as Rebekah nodded in understanding.

Back in the clearing, Professor Shane had decided to camp in one of the sheds. Wanting to understand what she was looking for, Bonnie decided to pay him a visit.

"I've been staring at pictures of Connor's tattoo and there's no spell." Bonnie told him.

"Expression doesn't require a written spell. Just think of it as a way of accessing magic that already exists inside you. You just have to want it bad enough." Professor Shane explained.

"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"Bonnie, listen, I taught you Expression so that you could access the cure. I'll be right there with you the whole time, I promise." Professor Shane tried to reassure her as Damon walked into the shed and stood behind Bonnie.

"You didn't answer the trust part." Damon said menacingly.

"All right. Let me put it this way. You need me to help you through it, Bonnie. Because as you've demonstrated, Expression can get messy. Believe me when I say I've seen it get a lot worse." Professor Shane began to babble nervously.

"How much worse?" Damon asked.

"When we lost our son in the car accident, my wife kind of lost it. She tried to resurrect his body using magic." Professor Shane admitted.

"Your wife was a witch?" Bonnie cried.

"She was a powerful witch. And incredibly undisciplined." Professor Shane told her sadly.

"And you never thought to tell me?" Bonnie asked, shaking her head in anger.

"I just didn't want to scare you. The truth is, she tried to bring our son back using Expression, and it overwhelmed her, and she died." Professor Shane sighed, looking down.

"You taught me the same magic that killed your wife?" Bonnie threatened.

"Yeah, but look, the upside is I've learned the warning signs, all right? I can keep Expression from consuming you." Professor Shane promised.

"Downside is, you turned her into a bomb that only you can dismantle." Damon sneered.

"Don't you think I know how this ends? I came here to raise Silas so that he could bring back the dead, but you're never gonna let that happen. The second I point to a cure, you're gonna kill me. Now Bonnie has to keep me alive so I can keep her alive." Professor Shane told them smugly.

"You fucking bastard." Damon snarled. "As soon as you're done with her you were just going to let her self destruct and then you can go on your merry little way weren't you? Well think again." he hissed as he stormed out of the shed, bumping into Elena who was just coming to see if she could diffuse the situation after she'd overheard the conversation inside.

"Damon!" she cried out as she ran after him, grabbing his arm and stopping him. "Come with me." she said as Elena pulled Damon into the small tent they'd set up for the night's camping. Damon was agitated and Elena knew he could be volatile when moody, which meant he needed to be calmed down, and she was the best person for the job. Damon's head hit the lamp hanging from the center of the tent, making his mood even worse.

"Come here." she said pulling him down to the ground so they were both sat on top of the sleeping bag. "Calm down." Elena cooed as she stroked his face, an action which usually helped.

"He used us to get Bonnie to open that tomb to get to Silas." Damon growled. "He's turned her into a time bomb and we're all at his mercy. He could make her kill any one of us unless we do as we're told." he complained.

"There's nothing we can do right now." Elena said. "Keeping Bonnie calm is the only way to keep her and us all safe." she told him. "When we get back, we can get Abby to help sort out what he's been doing to her." Elena reassured him.

"You do know this could fuck up the plan?" Damon whispered, as Elena nodded in reply.

"You think we should tell him? Elena mouthed to Damon.

"I'm guessing he already knows." Damon whispered. "He didn't want to challenge her because he couldn't beat her."

"So he's her only hope?" Elena asked.

"I guess we'll have to see Who knows what he's got planned." Damon sighed. "It's a bad fucking day when you're having to put all of your hope and faith in Kol fucking Mikaelson."

Elena laughed. "I can think of better ways to take our mind off things." she whispered as she softly placed her lips upon his. Damon pulled her in close as he deepened their kiss as Elena ran her fingers through his hair, before Damon pulled away.

"Here?" he asked quietly, raising an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Elena whispered back, pulling off her boots. "I'm sure we can be real quiet." she added quietly, sitting on his lap and circling her hips as she went back to kissing him, whilst Damon removed Elena's hat and scarf.

"You..can..never..be..quiet." Damon mumbled as he began lathering kisses down her neck.

"You wanna bet?" Elena asked, pushing Damon backwards so they were lying on top of the sleeping bag and she was straddled across his hips.

"Mhm." Damon moaned as she kissed him once more. "I like a challenge." he smirked as he sat back up pushed Elena's jacket away from her shoulders. "You do know that anyone could walk in at any time." he told her.

"That's the fun of it." Elena whispered into his ear. "It's a challenge, we have to be so quiet and almost still that nobody knows what we are doing. And we need to be semi dressed." she added as Damon pulled back from her and pouted.

"Why?" he asked, still pouting.

"Because we're camping in the middle of an island in the middle of nowhere and we're all convinced someone is watching us. So, we need to be ready to go at a moment's notice." Elena explained.

"I'm always ready to go at a moments notice." Damon growled into Elena's neck, causing her to laugh which suddenly turned to quiet moans as he nibbled on a particularly sensitive spot just beneath her ear which he knew she liked.

"What if someone walks in on us?" Elena mumbled, genuinely concerned, prompting Damon to stop and look around.

"They won't." he reassured her. "Firstly A – Bonnie is too busy arguing with Professor Creepy, and she knows what we'll be doing so she's going to avoid us. She likes living, and she knows that if she interrupts, she is risking life and limb." he smiled earning him a death glare from Elena. "And B – Stefan and Rebekah went further out and built the fire whilst they take their turn in looking after Connor." he explained. "Stefan wouldn't hear anything, his hearing is worse than yours from all of that puppy blood. And Rebekah won't want to hear anything so she's taken them out of her hearing range."

"How do you know?" Elena asked.

"Because I cant hear them, and her hearing is more powerful than mine, and I know that Rebekah is a lot of things, but she's not that masochistic to want to listen to us having sex." Damon told her as she gave him a strange look. "Strength, speed and abilities improve as you age." he explained. "My hearing is far more powerful than yours, and if I can't hear them, it means Rebekah has moved them far enough away so they can't hear us." he smiled as he kissed her once more.

"Okay, you've got me convinced." Elena giggled as Damon flipped them so he was hovering above her.

"Just to be on the safe side, we'll get in here." Damon opened the zipper of the sleeping bag.

"In here?" Elena asked in surprise.

"I didn't see a motel on the hike here, so I'm afraid it's all we've got." he sighed.

"That's not what I meant." Elena smirked. "I just never imagined you'd be up for doing this." she waved her arm around. "You know out here, in a tent, under the stars." she smiled and kissed his nose. "I just thought you'd think it was all a bit beneath you."

"The only thing I want beneath me is you." Damon growled as he wrapped the sleeping bag around them.

Elena's hands made their way to Damon's belt and she quickly freed his erection from the constraints of his jeans, although he was still confined in his boxer briefs. Not wanting to ask the question of whether the cold would affect a vampires erection the way it did a human, she decided to leave the briefs on for a while, so she slipped her hand inside and began to stroke his dick, earning her a small moan from him.

"I thought I was going to be the noisy one." Elena whispered seductively in Damon's ear. Damon pulled back and looked at her as a huge grin erupted on his face.

"You asked for that." he said as he slid his body down inside the sleeping bag as he pulled the waistband of Elena's pants down, Elena lifted her hips so that Damon could pull them off. Before Elena got chance to lower her hips, Damon had pulled her panties off too, leaving her top half covered with a sweater and just her socks. Damon rested back on his heels for a moment, drinking in the sight of Elena, resting back on her elbows with her legs spread in front of him. "I think I'm going to start to like camping." he grinned as he wiggled his eyebrows and settled his head between Elena's thighs.

Elena nearly shot through the roof of the tent when she felt Damon's hot wet tongue exploring her entrance. The external cold weather, and the hint of danger was making her body feel more sensitive than usual. Slowly Damon started off tongue fucking her, causing Elena to have serious problems in not screaming in ecstasy. Elena took one of Damon's hands and began sucking on his finger to help her to keep quiet, however, she heard Damon moan, and she realized this action must have been having an impact on him.

Damon began to suck Elena's nub and he inserted two fingers with his free hand. Mimicking his action, Elena inserted another of his fingers into her mouth and continued to suck. Soon however, his fingers were not enough to keep her quiet, the taste of his flesh in her mouth teased her vampire senses and she felt the veins around her eyes tingle and her fangs itching to break through her gums, so she let go of Damon's hand, not wanting to bite him. The white hot build up of her orgasm was becoming so intense she wasn't sure she would be able to not scream.

"Damon..." she whispered. "I don't know if I can..." her voice trailed off as Damon's eyes met hers, even in the dark, she could see see his blue eyes vividly, and the love for her that poured out of them. A sight that tipped her over the edge as spasms spread violently through her pussy, she arched her back as her body went rigid and her voice disappeared, words too difficult to produce when the pleasure he gave her was ravaging throughout her body.

Damon climbed back up and hovered above her as she was still coming down from her high. "I'm afraid we're gonna have to go back to basics tonight." Damon whispered. "This sleeping bag leaves little room for adventure." he added as he gently pushed inside her.

Elena thought she was going to have another orgasm right that minute as Damon slowly pushed inside of her, his hard cock filling her, causing her to silently moan with pleasure. Elena put her arms around him and pushed her hips to meet his, as Damon set a pace so slow that she thought he'd forgotten to move. Damon put a finger to her mouth to suggest that she be quiet as he began to gently pick up the pace. Still agonizingly slow, but for some reason, Damon could even make agonizingly slow seem amazing. His movements were careful, and he was managing to brush up against her clit with every thrust, creating extra friction without the need to slip a hand between them.

Aware of their surroundings, they both tried everything to keep quiet with the only method they knew, by locking their mouths together, their tongues desperately exploring each others mouth. However, for some reason this triggered Elena's fangs to elongate, for once an unusual lack of self control, causing her to catch Damon's tongue with the tip and blood to spill from the small incision. Elena thought she was going to go into a frenzy as she wasn't sure how much self control she had left to not let the inhabitants of the entire island of Nova Scotia itself, which was almost two hundred miles away, know how wonderful Damon was making her feel. Her orgasm was looming and the blood had only sped that up. She wanted him to increase the pace of his thrusting, so Elena moved her hips quicker to urge him on. Taking the hint he increased the pace.

"I'm gonna come." Damon panted in her ear.

"Me too." Elena whispered back.

"Bite me." Damon whispered. Elena didn't need to be asked twice. Her eyes trained on his jugular, as she licked a line up it, prepping it for her attack whilst he repeated the action on her. Her fangs elongated and the veins around her eyes tickled as she clamped her mouth down on his neck, the sweet nectar of his blood filling her mouth and her mind, whilst simultaneously feeling Damon do the same to her.

Instead of being transported away into another memory, they were still in the tent, making love, however Elena was no longer confined to keeping quiet. Sharing their blood was also a means of communication, which meant she could scream as loud as she wanted and only Damon would hear her.

"Don't stop." Elena moaned. "This is so good."

"Fuck...Elena..." Damon panted, as he increased the pace of his thrusts even more, as Elena felt the white heat of her contractions starting to spread throughout her pussy.

"Damon..." she screamed as her fingers cupped his ass and her nails dug in, the smell of blood filled the air. She'd dug in sufficiently to scratch him and draw blood. This however, spurred Damon on. Never one to shy away from pain, it seemed to turn him on even further. This knowledge seemed to only increase the intensity of Elena's own orgasm. Her back arched once again her body became rigid, however this time Elena screamed out Damon's name as the spasms from her pussy milked Damon's cock and led him to his own release as Elena felt his hot seed spill inside her, whilst he cried out her name in ecstasy.

After a few moments, Damon pulled out of Elena and they began to put their clothes back on, before settling down to cuddle up together in the sleeping bag.

"So who won the bet?" Elena asked as she rested her head against Damon's chest, whilst he wrapped his arms around her.

"I made you scream." Damon insisted.

"But nobody heard me." Elena said proudly.

"Shh." Damon whispered. "Someone's coming."

"Are you guys decent in there?" Bonnie's voice came from the other side of the tent.

"No were completely naked and having mad passionate sex." Damon complained. "Go away Sabrina." he added.

"Damon!" Elena chided. "No it's fine Bonnie. We're decent, you can come in." she said, playfully elbowing Damon in the rib.

"Ouch." Damon said, clutching his side and feigning pain as Bonnie undid the tent zipper and walked in holding a flashlight.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, sitting up as Bonnie turned the flashlight off and lit the lamp with magic, before turning back to look at her friend.

"It's Connor." Bonnie told them. "He's gone missing."

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon and Elena quickly scrambled to put on their socks, boots and outdoor clothes before clambering out of the tent to find it was just Bonnie waiting outside for them next to a small campfire that someone had built whilst Damon and Elena had been having their 'alone time' in the tent.

"What the hell happened?" Damon asked as he looked around the empty clearing for everyone else.

"I dunno." Bonnie shrugged. "Stefan had the rope and apparently he thought Connor was asleep in the tent. The next thing they knew was that someone had cut the rope and Connor was missing." she told them.

Elena turned to Bonnie "So did you guys already start looking for Connor?" she asked.

"We've already searched the perimeter." Bonnie told her.

"Did you find anything?" Elena asked.

"No. He's not on the trail either." Bonnie told her. "I checked."

"Where's Professor Shane?" Elena asked looking round.

"He's gone to look through Connor's stuff." Bonnie told her. "To see if he could find any clues."

"His gear's still here." Professor Shane called out, prompting everyone to look at him as he hold up Connor's bag whilst he walked back towards the clearing from the hunters tent.

"He's not at the quarry, either." Stefan called out as he entered the clearing.

"The headstone is also gone." Rebekah shouted as she followed Stefan.

"Great, so not only are we missing a hunter, we're missing the piece of rock that does who the hell knows what." Damon complained, rolling his eyes in frustration.

"Maybe Connor took the tombstone?" Elena suggested.

"No." Stefan told her. "He went missing before that."

"Well who was babysitting the rock?" Damon asked.

"I was." Stefan admitted looking sheepish. "I realized that the rope didn't feel right, so Rebekah and I went to investigate and when we got back the tombstone was gone." he told them as Damon rolled his eyes in frustration.

"So it could have been Connor who took it?" Elena asked.

"Not enough time and there was no noise." Rebekah chimed in. "It had to be either another vampire or magic." she said causing Damon and Elena to look at each other, both wondering if Kol was responsible for taking Connor and the tombstone.

"Let's split up into two groups." Damon suggested.

"Fine, but I'm gonna try a locator spell first." Bonnie said.

"Okay. I'll stay here. I'll make sure she's safe." Professor Shane offered.

"And I'll stay here and make sure you're not lying." Damon offered a warning smile to the Professor, prompting Elena to look at Stefan and Rebekah, who glanced at each other awkwardly realizing that left the three of them to search the island together.

"Fine. We'll keep searching the island." Elena sighed, as Damon just nodded and walked over to their tent and Elena followed him. "Hey." she said smiling before grabbing his face and kissing him. "We won't be long." she said reassuringly.

"I know, but take this." Damon whispered as he slipped inside the tent, bent down and took the dagger and white oak ash from his bag, before climbing out of the tent and putting them both into Elena's bag, whilst Elena stood in front of him, to blocking the view of what he was doing from the others.

"Do you think they have any idea who it is?" Elena asked quietly, cocking her head towards Stefan and Rebekah who had already turned around and had slowly started walking the other direction.

"No, but make sure you get Bonnie to give you copies of the map." Damon told her. "She has them on her phone. That way if you find the tombstone you can try and get to Silas and the cure." he suggested.

"But don't we need either the sword or Professor Shane to read the map?" Elena asked.

"So you call Blondie and ask her to go find it. Maybe get her to flirt with Klaus a little, he might spill the beans about it's location." Damon grinned as Elena playfully slapped him on the arm.

"When you two are ready..." Rebekah suddenly called out to Damon and Elena. "We've got a cure to find. Although if you want to stay behind and have sex then go ahead, but you won't get your hands on the cure, and whoever is lurking in these woods could come after you and I'm sure you wouldn't want to be caught with your pants down." she said. "Or maybe you would." Rebekah added, causing Elena to blush.

"Ignore her." Damon whispered as he wrapped his arms around Elena's waist.

"I will." Elena promised as she looked at Damon lovingly, before they began to kiss passionately, the world disappearing as if they were the only two people on the entire island. Stefan turned around to call out to Elena but instead he caught a glimpse of them just as they were about to kiss, his face fell at the sight of the way they looked at each other before they their lips met. Elena had never looked at him the way she looked at Damon. That was the moment Stefan realized he and Elena were truly over. Even if the cure made her human again and she did go back to loving him, he wasn't sure would she ever love him enough for her to look at him like she looked at his brother.

"I gotta go." Elena finally said as they pulled away from their kiss, prompting Damon to pout teasingly, as she pulled the straps pf her bag over her shoulders and gave him on last chaste kiss on the lips. "I love you." she whispered.

"I love you to." Damon smiled back. "Get those pictures from Bonnie, it's your leverage against Rebekah." he reminded her, as they walked back over to the shed where they found Professor Shane and Bonnie.

"Does your phone have a signal?" Elena asked as Bonnie was looking through Connor's things to help her perform the locator spell.

Bonnie checked her phone and nodded. "Yeah, why?" she asked.

"Can you send me the pictures of the tattoo, just in case you find the tombstone?" Elena asked as Bonnie nodded and began texting Elena the pictures.

"It won't help unless you can decipher the map and know what to do with it afterwards, and for that you need me." Professor Shane told them smugly.

"Klaus has the sword." Elena informed him.

"But the tattoo is not just a map."Professor Shane told the three of them who all eyed him with suspicion at the new piece of information. "The tattoo contains a spell which is hidden inside the hunter himself, so you still need a hunter with you to open the tomb." he explained.

"You never mentioned that before?" said Rebekah, who'd overheard what Professor Shane had said as she walked back over to the group.

"Well it wasn't an issue before." the Professor gulped at the sight of the Original, she was only one he truly feared. "We had the hunter and a completed mark." he said.

"Well we'll just have to find him again then won't we." Stefan said, as he also joined the rest of the group.

"And we're going to need more magic rope to get him under control when we do find him." Damon added. "Or he's just going to want to kill us all."

"Can you spell some more rope Bonnie?" Elena asked, turning to her friend.

"Yeah no problem." Bonnie replied as she went to the shed to get some more rope, to cast the binding spell for them to use against Connor when they found him.

"Here." Damon handed over a gun and some syringes to Stefan. "This should knock him out until you can tie the rope around him." he said before turning to Elena. "If we find him I'll text you to let you know." he said as Bonnie returned and handed a piece of spelled rope over to Elena who put it in her bag.

"You guys get going, at least with your vampire sight, you can see in the dark." Bonnie joked as Stefan, Elena and Rebekah all walked off and out of the clearing to start their search for Connor.

Bonnie went back to her tent to prepare for the locator spell, whilst Professor Shane went into the shed and Damon followed. Once inside Shane took his phone from his bag and began checking for a signal again, but the frustration on the Professor's face suggested he wasn't getting one.

"I thought you said yours didn't work." Damon said.

"Yeah. I'm just...just checking the signal after seeing Bonnie and Elena being able to use theirs, I thought mine might be okay now." Professor Shane told him. "But it's not." he added.

"So you can call someone?" Damon asked. "Like whoever took Connor?"

"This place has a habit of getting to you, doesn't it?" Professor Shane remarked as he shoved his phone at Damon's chest. "See for yourself."

"I'm done trusting you." Damon growled as he pushed Professor Shane down onto a chair with vamp-speed. "Where's the cure?" he demanded to know, as Professor Shane looked at him, his expression a mixture of fear and triumph.

"You know that magical well I was telling you about?" Shane asked as Damon nodded in reply. "Silas and the cure are buried deep below it." he told him.

"So, you've seen it?" Damon asked.

"No. But you could say I heard it from a reliable source." Professor Shane told him.

"Who?" Damon demanded, as he grabbed hold of Shane's collar.

"My wife." Professor Shane replied, smiling manically.

"What does your dead wife have to do with a cure?" Damon asked, letting go of the Professor and standing back, frowning.

"She's got nothing to do with a cure." Professor Shane told him. "But she has everything to do with Silas." he said.

"Go on." Damon instructed him.

"I saw her." Professor Shane told Damon. "When I went down the well I saw my wife, Caitlin. She explained everything that I had to do. Complete the hunter's mark to access the spell and empower a descendant of Qetsiyah to perform it." he explained as Damon shoved him backwards down onto a chair, as Damon placed a finger on the Professors chest, signaling for him to stay seated.

"Bonnie Bennett's related to this crazy-ass witch?" Damon asked surprised by this revelation as Professor Shane nodded in reply. "So you had the rock, hunter, Bennett witch. What about the dozens that died in sacrifice? Where do they fit into all this?" Damon asked.

"As you can imagine, that was not an easy pill to swallow." Professor Shane replied.

"And exactly how did you manipulate the pastor to blow up a farmhouse full of people." Damon tugged on Professor Shane's collar once more.

"He just wanted to see his wife again." Professor Shane protested.

"Okay, next question, We need three massacres. Fire at the Young farm. Holiday hybrid slaughter. What mass blood-letting am I forgetting?" Damon demanded.

"You're not." Professor Shane smirked.

"You're not finished are you." Damon said, realizing the Professor was up to something else. "Is that why you brought us all out here in the middle of nowhere? To complete massacre number three?" he asked.

"It doesn't work that way, Damon." Professor Shane told him.

"So how exactly does it work?" Damon asked, however Professor Shane refused to answer. Realizing Professor Shane wasn't going to offer up any further information, Damon decided to switch tactics. "I think you need to tell me where this magical well is." he demanded.

"You know I can't do that." Professor Shane told him. "And don't bother trying to compel it out of me, it won't work." he added smugly.

"Oh, I know. I know." Damon sighed, patting him on the shoulder and feigning sympathy as he spotted some rope on the floor. He walked over to the rope and picked it up, before tying Professor Shane to the chair. Once done he gave the Professor a sly grin before slapping him once again on the shoulder and walked off to get a metal tent rod he'd spotted on the floor in the corner of the shed.

"You don't frighten me." Professor Shane called out, seemingly unperturbed by what Damon was doing as he walked back over to the Professor with the rod in his hand.

"Where's the cure?" Damon frowned as he demanded to know whilst he stroked the rod in his hand lovingly.

"Does it matter?" Professor Shane asked. "I think we both know you'd rather just torture me." he said. "Torture gives you a sense of control, especially with your relevance slipping away." he continued to taunt Damon, who calmly broke the metal rod in half. "And look at you. Here you are, hours from Elena becoming human. You're starting to freak out a little bit. Listen, you want my advice? Leave. Go. Don't put yourself through this." he continued as Damon hit Shane on the leg with the the metal rod. "Agh! Fine. Okay. Let's say her feelings for you are real. How does that end?" Professor Shane's voice began to become panicked as he saw the glint of malice in Damon's icy blue eyes. "She's human. You're a vampire. It's doomed, Damon. See, you're not torturing me, man. You're torturing yourself by helping them find the cure." he said as Damon hit his other leg.

"I could kill you. Then no one would find it." Damon said smiling sweetly.

"We've established that you can't kill me without sending Bonnie off the deep end." Professor Shane said gloating. "You can leave the island. Have a modicum of self-respect. Don't stay here and watch Elena walk away from you when she takes the cure and realizes that only the vampire version of her was in love with you." he suggested.

"Right. Because if I'm not here, then I can't get in between you and whatever you're planning with Silas." Damon frowned before his face changed to anger and the veins began to protrude around his eyes. "Well, I'm not that easily manipulated, professor. And there is one flaw in your logic." he said as he bent down and whispered in Professor Shane's ear. "I don't give a fuck about the cure, Elena and I are here to make sure my brother and Bonnie survive this, then we're going to destroy both you and Silas." Damon stood back and grinned.

"We'll see." Professor Shane replied.

On the other side of the island, Kol dragged Connor along by the rope to their destination. He smiled to himself as he thought about how he had managed to take the hunter right from under the noses of his sister and Stefan. Despite being an Original vampire, Kol knew how easily Rebekah got scared, so he'd managed to spook some of the local wildlife to make enough noise to give her the jitters. Suspecting Stefan was still a gentleman at heart, he'd hoped Stefan would come to aide his sister in her hour of need, which he did, exactly as Kol had anticipated. It had been all so predictable and easy. Almost too easy. As soon as Stefan dropped the rope, all Kol had to do was cut it and nobody would be any the wiser. Becoming the holder of the rope, meant Kol had then been able to command Connor to keep quiet until he made his next move. As soon as Stefan picked the rope back up, Kol had moved it slightly so that Stefan knew something was wrong. By the time they realized that Connor was gone, Kol had taken him and the headstone far away and and they were now close to the cave he'd carefully selected to act as a tomb for the hunter.

"Ah, here we are." Kol smiled as he tugged at the rope, signaling for Connor to follow him as they got to the stop of a cliff when Kol stopped and removed his bag from his back. "I might be an Original vampire, but I'm going to have to get you into that cave and it's going to be a little bit of a tight squeeze, so I guess I'll just have to leave this here wont I?" he said, mostly to himself as Connor just looked at him blankly, the spell forcing him to keep quiet as of Kol's previous instructions.

Once Kol had removed his bag he walked over to Connor. "Time to show you your new home mate." he grinned and picked the hunter up,with the rope still attached, and jumped off the side of the cliff. He landed next to the entrance of a small cave and set Connor down on his feet. "After you." he gestured as the hunter got on his hands and knees and managed to crawl inside the cave whilst Kol followed him, still holding the rope. The floor of the cave was wet from the high tide, as Kol had decided that although drowning would be a suitable method to avoid the hunters curse, if he killed Connor too quickly, then Jeremy Gilbert would turn into a hunter and Klaus would try to get his hands on him, and he couldn't let that happen if anything went wrong and Klaus got out. So instead he'd carefully selected a cave where enough water would come in to keep the cave cold and wet, thus giving Connor a couple of days before he died of hypothermia. Hopefully that would be plenty of time for him to kill Silas and the Five would cease to exist and therefore Jeremy Gilbert would never become a hunter, thus no longer being of any use to Klaus in getting the cure.

Kol and Connor finally reached the end of the cave where it was almost high enough for them to stand up. There, Kol handed Connor a flashlight, a thermos and an apple that he'd brought to the cave on his earlier visit..

"So where are we going now?" Connor asked, looking back at Kol.

"You?" Kol smiled. "You're staying right here. Whilst I try and destroy Silas." he added and with that he vamp-sped out of the cave and placed a large boulder inside the entrance which was enough to allow air, water and a little light in, but it weighed at least a couple of tonnes, meaning that Connor would have no chance in moving it. "I left you some lunch." Kol called back smirking, knowing that he'd managed to find a way to kill the hunter without subjecting himself to the Hunter's Curse. "Have a nice life, and death." he added, laughing to himself as he climbed back up the rocks to the top of the cliff at a human pace.

Once back at the top of the cliff, Kol immediately realized something was wrong. His bag had been put on top of a rock near some trees and had been opened. Panic struck as Kol vamp-sped over to his bag and searched inside for the white oak stake, only to discover it was missing.

"Looking for this?" Kol heard a voice behind him with a Scottish accent, as he turned around to look at the thief and saw a scruffy looking young man with blonde hair who was holding the white oak stake.

"Give me that!" Kol demanded.

"Yer see. The funny thing is, when I found this, I thought you were a vampire hunter, one of the Five." the Scottish man said examining the stake. "But, there's no markings of the Five, so you couldn't be another hunter." he added.

"Who are you?" Kol asked.

"But then I discovered it was just a fancy looking stake." the blonde haired man said as he twirled the stake around in his fingers.

"Who are you?" Kol demanded once again, this time raising his voice as he vamp-sped over to the blonde haired man, ready to attack. However the blonde haired man was much faster than Kol anticipated.

"I'm Galen Vaughn." the man replied as he drove the stake right through Kol's heart. "And you're another dead vampire." he smiled as the Original dropped to the floor and set on fire, causing the man to frown at the unusual looking vampire death before shrugging and walking away, leaving Kol's burning body with the stake still protruding from his heart.

Bonnie was outside in the clearing, kneeling at the campfire holding a T-shirt which belonged to Connor. She closed her eyes, concentrating upon finding out where Connor was located, when suddenly the flames in the fire erupted and signaling it was time for her to hand over the personal possession to enable the locator spell to find the desired person. Bonnie tossed the shirt into the flames, and waited for a few moments, clutching the talisman Professor Shane had given her, until the flames started to spread beyond the fire pit, scorching the earth before they died down and leaving a path for them to follow out into the trees. Getting up, Bonnie made her way to the shed and opened the door to tell Damon and Professor Shane that the locator spell had worked.

"I've found him." she cried out as she walked in, taking in the scene in front of her. "I've found Connor." Bonnie exclaimed before turning to Damon. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked folding her arms.

"We were just having a friendly chat, weren't we Professor?" Damon grinned as he untied the rope and patted Professor Shane on the back, who just kept quiet, knowing not to panic now Bonnie was back, as all he needed to do was to let Connor kill the vampire and he'd be out of their hair. Bonnie would never do it because it would hurt her friend. "Lets go find our hunter." Damon added, walking out of the shed, followed by Professor Shane. As he left the shed, Damon got out his phone to text Elena to tell them they'd got a track on the hunter, however it showed no bars. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. "No signal." he added, prompting Bonnie to check her phone.

"Me neither." she said. "It's getting cloudy, maybe it's blocking what little signal we did have." she said as Damon shrugged.

"Let's go. We'll try again later." he replied as they all began picking up their bags.

"The way this locator spell works is by showing us the way using a magical trail, I could make sure it doesn't disappear when we follow it." Bonnie suggested. "If they come back here, they might notice it and come after us." she added.

"Great idea Sabrina." Damon grinned. "Finally someone with common sense and good idea's. You get on it." he added as Bonnie closed her eyes and began chanting whilst holding her talisman. Suddenly the wind whipped up around them, and the branches on the trees began rustling as the dead leaves on the ground blew up into the air. As quickly as the wind started, it stopped and Bonnie opened her eyes and looked at Damon and then to Professor Shane.

"It's done." Bonnie smiled. "Let's go." she said and set off following the trail magical which pointed to where Connor should be. Damon and Professor Shane followed her into the woods, leaving the path of scorched earth still trailing behind them.

Back at the Gilbert house, Caroline was lying on Elena's bed, crying in a mixture of pain and anger at the werewolf bite which Klaus had given her. Tyler was stood with her, guilt etched over his features, worried that the woman he loved was going to die because of his macho pride.

"It's getting worse. I'm sorry." Caroline sniffed.

"No. It's my fault. I'm sorry." Tyler apologized.

"No. You didn't do any of this." Caroline insisted.

"I unsired the hybrids and turned them on Klaus. I should've just left it alone." Tyler sighed.

"You freed them, Tyler." Caroline encouraged him. "People put their faith in you because you're a leader. Don't forget that." she smiled, rubbing his hand.

"Then you trust me?" Tyler asked and Caroline nodded in reply. "Good, cause I've got an idea." he said as he picked Caroline up and carried her downstairs and into the living room, where he lay her down on the floor. Hearing the noise, Klaus turned around to see what they were doing.

"You want to be in control, Klaus?" Tyler asked. "Here. Now you get to be in control of her life. If you want her to die, fine. But then you can sit here and watch her die yourself." he said as he left Caroline alone in the house with Klaus.

Klaus walked over to Caroline who looked up at him beseechingly. "Nothing personal, love. If I cure you, that means victory for him." Klaus sighed sadly. "Don't worry. It won't be long now." he added, looking away from Caroline, who closed her eyes as her breathing started to become even heavier.

Meanwhile, back on the island, Elena, Stefan and Rebekah were continuing their hike through the woods in search for Connor and the tombstone.

"Connor! Connor!" Elena called out.

"Why don't you yell louder? Maybe we haven't drawn enough attention to ourselves already." Rebekah sneered. "It's not as if he's about to say 'Here I am' is it? He's more likely to jump out of the trees and stake us instead."

"I'm sorry, and how are you helping?" Elena asked sarcastically, realizing that Rebekah was right and shouting him might not be the brightest idea.

"I'm stronger than you and faster than you and I'm quite certain I can charm the islanders a lot easier than you." Rebekah smirked.

"Not disagreeing on the easy part." Elena said under her breath.

" All right, we get it. You two hate each other. Can we just keep going, please?" Stefan sighed, wishing he was with anyone else right then, even Klaus's company would be an improvement.

"I tried to be her friend, but somehow, I ended up with a dagger in my back because I'm the evil one." Rebekah complained.

"Technically, you didn't achieve evil status until you killed me." Elena replied snidely, as she suddenly walked into what must have been a trip-wire because suddenly a piece of wood flew into the air with wooden spikes protruding out. Rebekah vamp-sped over to the trap to stop it from impaling Elena. Elena looked at Rebekah in shock as she tried to catch her breath.

"Nice catch." Stefan grinned.

"Thank you." Rebekah said smugly.

"No, actually, thank you. This thing would've killed me." Elena gasped with genuine gratitude, still recovering from the shock of nearly being impaled.

"I don't care what happens to you either way. But if you're gonna die, it might as well be epic." Rebekah shrugged.

"Does anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Elena suddenly asked, turning to look at Rebekah and Stefan.

"Why don't you go back to your boyfriend if you're so scared." Rebekah sneered.

"You know something, that's a really good idea." Elena stated, having had enough of Rebekah's company for one day, and after only a couple of hours apart from Damon, she was already missing him. "I'm gonna go back and check on Bonnie, see if she found anything." she said. "Be careful." Elena added more to Stefan, as she turned and headed off back towards the camp. Rebekah moved the trap out of the way and continued to walk on, as Stefan watched, before setting off after her.

Caroline was still lying on the sofa, Klaus's werewolf venom was now ravaging her body and she knew she was getting closer to the end. She was sweating profusely and her breathing was becoming more and more laborious by the minute.

"If you don't feed me your blood, I'll die." Caroline's raspy voice said weakly as Klaus stood across the room not looking at her.

"Then you'll die, and Tyler will have learned his lesson the hard way." Klaus said softly.

"How could you do this to him? To his mom? To me?" Caroline whispered.

"I'm a thousand years old. Call it boredom." Klaus offered.

"I don't believe you." Caroline said, her voice becoming weaker by the minute, but she knew she had to keep going.

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil, and I can't help myself." Klaus replied sarcastically.

"It's because you were hurt. Which means that there is a part of you that is human." Caroline insisted, she was beginning to run on what felt like adrenaline, although she wasn't sure vampires even had adrenaline.

Klaus walked over to Caroline and sit on the table next to the sofa."How could you possibly think that?" he asked curiously.

"Because I've seen it. Because...I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all the horrible things that you've done." Caroline's voice became firmer, but was still weakening.

"But you can't. Can you?" Klaus asked sadly.

"I know that you're in love with me." Caroline admitted. "And anybody capable of love is capable of being saved." she reassured him as she thought she Klaus' eyes start glisten with tears, Caroline felt a moment of hope as she suspected he had been moved by her words, however he looked away.

"You're hallucinating." Klaus told her defensively, confirming Caroline's suspicions that she was right and although she knew she was using emotional manipulation to save her life from her potential murderer, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the man in front of her. She wondered what had happened to make him so angry? Caroline just hoped she'd live to find out, but in the meantime she needed to add a little more emotional blackmail to save herself.

"I guess I'll never know." Caroline said defiantly as her breath suddenly hitched, and she began to feel the room disappear around her.

"Caroline?" Klaus cried out, panicking, torn between what was the right thing to do, and what was right for his reputation. Eventually his feelings for Caroline won out and he lifted Caroline into a sitting position and sat behind her. Biting open his wrist, Klaus put it to Caroline's mouth and she began to drink his blood.

"There you go love." Klaus whispered. "I'm sorry." he added as he smoothed her hair whilst she continued to drink his blood and regain her strength.

After Elena left to go back to see Damon and Bonnie, Stefan and Rebekah continued their hike, searching through the woods for Connor.

"Haven't we been through here before?" Stefan sighed.

"It all looks the same to me." Rebekah shrugged, as what must have been another trap was triggered and a spear flew out of nowhere. Stefan vamp-sped Rebekah out of the way, as the spear hit a tree close by. They both gasped for breath, as Stefan pushed Rebekah's back up against a tree, his body wrapped around hers protectively.

"Thanks, but that wouldn't have killed me." Rebekah smiled at the gesture.

"Sorry. Force of habit." Stefan replied as they stared at each other, his face only inches from hers, whilst his hands were fixed tightly to her waist.

"Don't be a tease. Elena could be lurking somewhere in the woods." Rebekah teased suggestively.

"I doubt that." Stefan whispered.

"True." Rebekah agreed. "They're probably locked up in their tent at it like rabbits right now, like they supposedly were last night." she taunted, prompting Stefan to remove his hands from her waist and stand back before walking away from her.

"Did you mean what you said? About a cease-fire?" Stefan asked, before walking away, deciding to change the subject. Damon and Elena's sex life was not what he wanted to hear about.

"Why do you all assume that I hate Elena so much?" Rebekah called out after him as she quickly caught up with Stefan.

"Well, I mean, you did run her off a bridge." Stefan offered.

"You all seem to forget that Elena's death was the only way to save my family." Rebekah explained. "I did the same thing that every one of you would've done to protect the people that you love. And before you cast me as the bad guy, maybe you should remember that Elena not only daggered me, but she also helped to kill my brother. Maybe we're not as different as everyone's making us out to be." she shrugged as she turned and walked away. "Connor's not here. I'm going back." Rebekah added leaving Stefan looking pensive, before deciding to follow her back to the campsite.

About an hour after splitting from Stefan and Rebekah, Elena returned to the campsite clearing expecting to still find Damon, Bonnie and Professor Shane. Instead all she found was a deserted clearing, although the tents were still there, and the fire long burned out. Elena checked her phone and found no message from either Damon or Bonnie, even though there was a signal.

"Bonnie?" Elena cried out as she looked in Bonnie's tent only to find it empty, and Bonnie's things gone. Beginning to panic, she ran into the shed, which was also empty, Professor Shane's things were also missing. She ran outside to head to her own tent to look for Damon's things when she ran into Stefan and Rebekah, who she guessed must have set off back shortly after her. "Where is everyone?" Elena asked throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, confused.

"Well, Bonnie and Shane have packed up their stuff and gone." Elena told them. "And I'm going to guess that Damon's things have gone too." she added on the verge of tears as she began to head over to her own tent.

"Oh my god. The tombstone." Rebekah suddenly said as she vamp-sped over to Elena and Damon's tent, beating Elena and began rifling through what was left of the bags inside Elena's tent, as Elena clambered in behind her.

"What are you doing in my tent?" Elena snapped as Rebekah quickly moved over and grabbed Elena by the throat.

"Where's the tombstone? What have you done with it?" Rebekah demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Elena choked, confused by the accusation.

"Like it's not bloody obvious?" Rebekah cried. "I saw that look you and Damon gave each other, you know what happened to it." she said. "You set me up, pretending to have sex whilst listening in to our conversation and waiting for that moment when our backs were turned. All you people ever do is betray me and here you go again!" Rebekah shouted.

"Let her go. She didn't take it." Stefan cried out as Rebekah released Elena, who stumbled backwards and grasped her throat, before following Rebekah who'd already climbed out of the tent.

"Was any of this real? Or was it just a ploy to distract me while Damon, Bonnie and Shane ran off with the tombstone?" Rebekah accused Stefan, as she placed her hands on her hips, frowning at him.

"You think I would do that? You think I would let some psychopath run off with the cure?" Stefan asked Rebekah in bewilderment. " Every single moment of my last one hundred and forty six years has been ruled by the pain of being a vampire." he told her. "And this cure ends that. It ends the guilt and it ends the suffering. And you really think I would jeopardize that?" Stefan asked.

"Fine. You didn't take it. But that doesn't mean I trust her." Rebekah said to Stefan as she pointed at Elena before turning to glare at her for a moment. In response Elena removed her bag from her back and took out the dagger and white oak ash.

"I didn't take it, but here." Elena offered as she extended the the dagger and ash towards Rebekah. "Consider this a peace offering." she added.

"Don't you get it, Elena? There is no peace. We're all screwed." Rebekah shouted.

"Exactly, Rebekah. We're screwed." Elena admitted. "Bonnie, Damon and Professor are gone. Both the tombstone and Connor are missing. So, us three, right here, this is all we've got. So we're either in this together...or it's over. For all of us." she insisted as she held out the dagger and ash to Rebekah again, who after careful consideration decided to take it.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Elena. "Maybe they left a trail?" she suggested.

"Good idea." Stefan agreed. "I can't imagine Bonnie leaving without letting us know where they were going." he added as the three of them began examining the area only to come up empty handed.

"Something feels off about this." Elena frowned.

"Why?" Rebekah asked.

"Bonnie and Damon wouldn't just leave without finding a way to let us know where they were going." Elena replied.

"Maybe something happened here." Stefan suggested, worry beginning to etch into his features.

"Well the only thing we can do is find out where the cure is." Rebekah suggested. "Wherever the cure is hidden, is likely to be where they're going or have been taken to." she said.

"And who do you think would have taken them?" Elena asked.

"Well I for one don't trust that Professor." Rebekah admitted. "And I'm convinced that someone has been watching us whilst we've been here." she added as Elena and Stefan nodded in agreement.

"I guess it's time to call Caroline." Elena said. "But I need a better signal than this. It was pretty good at the beach." she suggested.

"Then the beach it is." Rebekah smiled as she started to walk off in the direction of the beach as Stefan and Elena followed.

Damon, Bonnie and Professor Shane had been following the trail from Bonnie's locator spell for a few hours. Periodically both Damon and Bonnie had been checking their phones for a signal, but their reception had suddenly become really poor, meaning they couldn't let the other party know that they'd gone to search for Connor. Eventually the scorched earth trail had led them out of the woods and to a cliff overlooking the sea which is where it ended.

"You don't think he's dead do you?" Damon asked as he looked over the edge.

"No." Bonnie told him. "The spell wouldn't work if he was."

"Hmm, maybe he's decided to row out to sea." Damon suggested.

"He's a vampire hunter and there are vampires on the island." Professor Shane chimed in. "Do you really think he'd want to leave the island with vampires still on it?" he asked, as Damon noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Wait here." he said as he walked over to what turned out to be the remains of a burned body with the white oak stake sticking out of its body. Completely ignoring him, Bonnie and Professor walked up and looked down at the body in shock.

"What the hell?" Bonnie cried.

"Who is it?" Professor Shane asked.

"Well Klaus is locked up in the Gilbert jail, Finn is dead, Rebekah is with Stefan and Elena, which leaves Kol and Elijah." Damon said, narrowing down the options. "Now Elijah wouldn't be seen dead in anything other than a suit, which leaves just Kol." he explained.

"But I thought Kol was daggered at your place." Bonnie asked, turning to look at Damon.

"Well someone obviously undaggered him didn't they." Damon said sarcastically. "And I'm having this." he stated before pulling the white oak stake from Kol's chest and putting it in his bag. "But at least that answers the question of who took Connor. What it doesn't tell us is where the hell Connor is now and what happened to the tombstone." he added frowning as Bonnie turned to look behind her.

"What happened to the trail?" she asked confused, as Damon and Professor Shane both turned around to see the path of scorched earth had disappeared.

"Maybe your witchy mojo isn't working too well." Damon scoffed. "Has that lost it's signal too?" he asked sarcastically as Bonnie glared at him.

"Or maybe there's another witch on the island." came an unfamiliar voice with a Scottish accent from the nearby trees. "Did someone say they were looking for this?" the voice asked, as a scruffy looking young man with blonde hair emerged from the woods smiling, holding the tombstone in his tattoo covered hand.

"You're another one of the Five." Professor Shane said, his eyes lighting up.

"Looks like we won't need Connor after all." Damon grinned. "Bonnie, do your worst." he added as the man suddenly dropped the tombstone and doubled up with pain, whilst Damon walked over and wrapped the magic rope around the new hunter's hands. "Looks like we're back in business. I say let's go find the cure." he added as they set off with Professor Shane leading the way.

 

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon, Bonnie, Professor Shane and their blonde haired Scottish visitor got ready to get going to search for the cure as Professor Shane was leading the group with Bonnie beside him, a little further back was Damon, who had the magic rope in his hand which contained the unnamed hunter who was even further back.. However this newest turn of events had left him feeling uncomfortable. Kol was now dead, so if they were to go ahead with killing Silas, the job was going to fall to Damon himself, and he frankly didn't have a clue where to begin. He suspected he may be able to get Bonnie on side, as he knew that raising the supernatural dead, also meant messing with the Other Side, and after her experiences with Jeremy, Vicki and Anna, there was no way in hell Bonnie would want a repeat of that. This was why Damon felt he needed a little bit of bonding time with Bonnie, as he called her over to walk and talk with him.

"Yes Damon?" she grumbled, as she got close, making it clear she would have preferred being at the opposite end of the island, as opposed to walking and talking with Damon at that point. Damon put his finger to his lips to signal her to hush before glancing over to Professor Shane and behind him to check on the scruffy Scottish hunter. Professor Shane looked back at them suspiciously, but continued walking on whilst they followed.

"When we get to Silas, what are you planning on doing?" Damon whispered.

"We're going to get the cure. Why?" Bonnie asked, looking at Damon confused.

"I don't mean that." Damon explained. "I mean with Silas." he clarified, his voice low so Professor Shane and the hunter couldn't hear him.

"Well. Professor Shane wants to raise him so he can see his dead wife and child again..." Bonnie began.

"Do you want to raise him and interfere with the other side?" Damon whispered as Bonnie's dropped and she shook her head.

"I admit, I want to see Grams, but I don't think she'd would want me to do this." she admitted quietly.

"Good." Damon smiled as they continued walking. "We're on the same page." he told her. "Elena and I didn't just come out here for the cure." he admitted. "We came here to destroy Silas." he whispered. "We knew Kol would be coming because Elena was the one who removed the dagger when you and I went to get Connor." he whispered as Bonnie's eyes widened with shock. "One day we might want to take the cure, to have a family and stuff, but not right now." Damon said. "So we figured that we go with you guys, get the cure for when we're ready, in the meantime we look out for you and get to kill Silas whilst we're here, thus saving the world." he smiled.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Bonnie whispered raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well, we had Kol all ready for the job, but Shrek killed him, so we need a plan B." he admitted.

"And what's that?" Bonnie asked.

"I need to talk to Shrek." he told her, cocking his head in the direction of the hunter. "But I need you to keep Professor Creepy occupied, whilst I find out more about our hunter." Damon said.

"How?" Bonnie shrugged.

"Talk to him about his wife and son. That might get him to open up about what he needs you to do." Damon suggested. "Either that or get him to tell you more about Silas." he said as Bonnie nodded in reply. "Or even better, find out why the hell your magic trail suddenly disappeared as well as our phone signals." Damon added.

"You think Professor Shane had something to do with it?" Bonnie whispered, sounding a little worried.

"Don't you think it's a little bit of a coincidence that once we're split up and Professor Creepy has everything he wants to get to Silas, that every trace of where we're going and every possibility of us telling the outside world where we are has suddenly vanished?" he whispered, causing Bonnie to frown.

"You think there's another witch involved?" Bonnie asked.

"I wouldn't out it past him." Damon replied.

"I'll go and distract Shane, whilst you get some information out of him." she whispered, nodding her head in the direction of the hunter. "I'll see if Professor Shane will admit to hiding us." she suggested as Damon just smiled and nodded, before Bonnie ran ahead to catch up with Professor Shane.

Elena, Stefan, and Rebekah had finally reached the beach, where they'd found that they had a slightly better phone signal which meant Elena could call Caroline, who answered almost immediately.

"Hey Caroline." Elena said. "How are you." she asked.

"I'm fine." Caroline replied. "I'm guessing something is wrong if you're calling me from wherever you are." she surmised.

"You're right." Elena told her. "Me, Stefan and Rebekah got separated from Damon, Bonnie, Professor Shane and Connor." she told her. "Plus the tombstone is missing." she added.

"Seriously?" Caroline shrieked.

"Yeah." Elena explained. "Stefan and Rebekah were looking after Connor when someone cut the rope, and he disappeared along with the tombstone."

"Tell me you're not serious." Caroline sighed.

"I wish I weren't." Elena said sadly. "When we got back from looking for Connor, we found Damon, Shane and Bonnie were gone too." Elena told her. "Shane needs Bonnie to cast a spell on Connor's tattoo in order to find the cure, and we suspect he managed to sneak them both out from under our noses." she added, not telling Caroline the truth that she suspected Kol was the real kidnapper.

"Well, why was Damon with Bonnie and Professor Shane?" Caroline asked.

"He stayed to protect Bonnie after he found out what the Professor was up to." Elena told her. "He said he'd let me know if he left, but neither he or Bonnie have contacted any of us. Plus they didn't even to tell us where they went." Elena sighed.

"Meaning what?" Caroline asked.

"Meaning they probably left but couldn't contact us even though there was a weak signal, enough for a text." Elena replied.

"Do you think Shane has got other people involved, like witches?" Caroline pondered.

"I wouldn't be surprised. " Elena said. "He's not strong enough to take Damon on, even with the element of surprise. And there was no sign of struggle, so I'm guessing Damon went willingly. But for them to leave nothing to let us know where they were going seems a little off, which makes me think Professor Shane must have someone, or at least a few someones helping him." she added.

"I'm so sorry. I wish I was there to help." Caroline said sympathetically.

"Well, maybe there's something you can do from home." Elena suggested.

"Anything. Tell me." Caroline asked.

"So Shane's looking for the cure. We think we can find him. We have pictures of Connor's tattoo, but we just can't translate the map." Elena explained.

"Unless you get the Hunter's Sword from Klaus." Caroline added.

"Exactly." Elena confirmed.

"He'll never give up the sword." Rebekah piped up.

"Yeah, but if anyone's gonna get him to give it up, it's Caroline." Stefan told her.

"He will never give up the sword, not even for Caroline." Rebekah insisted. "He's terrified we'll use the cure against him to make him mortal, and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't want any of us to derive a moment's worth of happiness from being human." she added.

"Well, maybe he doesn't have to give it up. I mean, Klaus is stuck in Elena's house by Bonnie's spell. He can't go anywhere." Stefan looked at Rebekah. "There's only so many places you can hide a three-foot piece of metal." he shrugged.

"I'll find it, don't worry." Caroline reassured them. "Just e-mail me photos of Connor's tattoo. I'll find the sword, and I'll call you back." she added.

"I guess we'll just have to wait." Elena sighed as she walked over to a log and sat down. "Thank you, Caroline." Elena said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. "Before you go, how;'s Jeremy?" she asked.

"He's fine." Caroline told him. "I don't think he and Matt have moved from Matt's couch. They've been playing computer games and eating pizza since you left." she laughed.

"Good." Elena sighed. "If you see him, will you tell him I said hi?" she asked.

"I will." Caroline agreed. "Right I gotta go and find a sword" she said. "Bye." Caroline added as she hung up.

Once Caroline had finished her phone conversation with Elena, she knew she needed to find the sword and fast, Bonnie's spell would only hold Klaus for two more days at the most and then he'd be apoplectic and probably kill Tyler, Matt and Jeremy in revenge. On top of that her friends were stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere with no idea of how to get back. With that in mind, she grabbed her jacket and phone from the chair in Elena's kitchen and headed for the door to retrieve the sword.

"Need my help with anything, love?" Klaus smirked.

"Nope." Caroline replied stubbornly, suspecting that he'd more than likely send her on a wild goose chase. As soon as she got out of the house (without looking at Klaus) she thought proudly, she took her phone and called Tyler.

"Hey." Tyler said as he answered immediately.

"How well do you know Klaus's place?" Caroline asked as she walked over to her car.

"Pretty well." Tyler replied. "Why, what do you need?"

"It appears that something has happened on the way to getting the cure." Caroline explained. "I've no time to go through it right now, but we need the sword to decipher the map." she told him. "Do you have any idea where it would be?" she asked.

"I can think of a few places." Tyler told her. "Look, I'll meet you there and we can search together." he suggested.

"Okay." Caroline smiled as she opened her car door. "And bring your laptop with you. We might need it." she added as she climbed in her car, before switching the engine on and setting of towards Klaus's mansion to meet Tyler and find the sword.

Damon slowed down to allow the new hunter to catch up and gently pulled the rope in so that they could walk side by side whilst they had a little chat.

"As holder of the rope, you're not allowed to attack me." Damon commanded as the hunter simply shrugged as they continued to walk a little bit behind Professor Shane and Bonnie who were discussing Professor Shane's wife and son.

"Why aren't ya walkin with yer friends?" the hunter asked Damon.

"I thought I'd walk with you instead." Damon smiled insincerely at the hunter. "Plus, they're not my friends, and you seem more interesting." he added as the hunter raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why?" the hunter asked. "Is Something botherin' you?"

"Would you believe me if I said mosquitoes?" Damon said sarcastically.

"Aye, I would." the hunter agreed before laughing. "How does it feel when a relentless eating machine is draining the blood from your veins?"

"Itchy." Damon complained, deciding to try and win the hunter's trust as well as he could by trying to be semi nice.

"Your friends from Mystic Falls think you're funny, Damon?" the hunter asked as Damon pricked up is ears, realizing the hunter knew a lot more about them than he'd assumed.

"You obviously know who we are and where we're from." Damon surmised. "Have you been spying on us?" he asked.

"Aye, I have." the hunter told him."You and Stefan, Elena, your witch, Bonnie." he said. "Do you need her to cast the spell written on the hunter's tattoo?" he asked curiously, clearly not aware of why Bonnie was so important.

"Why do you wanna know?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"I've been killing vampires my entire life. Still, this thing refused to reveal itself to me." the hunter explained. "That was, until three days ago and it just magically completed for no apparent reason." he said.

"Come on, man. Do I look like I know anything about tattoos? Look at my skin. It's flawless." Damon smirked, deciding not to reveal what he knew until necessary.

"Ah! You're not taking me seriously." the hunter sighed. "I don't blame ya. You don't know me." he shrugged. "So let me introduce myself. My name is Galen Vaughn, and I want to know what the fuck is going on." he demanded.

"Okay." Damon replied. "You tell me what you know and what your plans are, and I'll tell you mine." he offered.

"Fine." Vaughn said. "There's nothing to hide. There's a cave, and in that cave is a wishing well, and in there lies the entrance to a crypt." he told him. "In the crypt lies Silas. And with Silas lies the cure, which will allow me to kill Silas, and bring the mission of the brotherhood of the Five to an end."

"What a minute, you want to kill Silas." Damon looked perplexed. "That's what the purpose of the hunter is?" he asked. "Well it looks as though we want the same thing." he grinned.

"I guess we'll see about that." Vaughn said frowning.

"Here's the deal, Shrek. My witch friend will open the passage for you. All my friends want is the cure, and I'm more than happy for you to kill Silas. So you cut us in on your share, and we'll get out of your hair." Damon grinned. "Heck, I'll even help you kill Silas if you want." he added quietly.

"You really don't understand, do you?" Vaughn said, as Damon looked at him confused.

"No, I don't understand, so why don't you explain it?" Damon asked, eyeing Vaughn with suspicion, whilst glancing up ahead at Bonnie and Professor Shane who were still deep in conversation.

"Silas is immortal. I have to cram the cure down his throat in order to kill him." Vaughn explained.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with me and my friends?" Damon asked, realizing there must be a catch.

"I need to use the cure against Silas. Your friends, they can't exactly have it, now, can they?" Vaughn told him.

"So you use it on Silas, and we'll use it for whoever wants to use it." Damon offered, however Vaughn just smirked. "You don't want to share it with us do you?" Damon said thoughtfully.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldnae." Vaughn admitted.

"And why can't you share it?" Damon asked.

"So it is written." Vaughn said. "There is only one dose."

"Fuck!" Damon swore loudly as Bonnie turned to look at the two men before returning to her conversation with Professor Shane.

Bonnie looked back towards Damon and the hunter after she'd just heard Damon swear loudly, which meant he wasn't happy about something, although Bonnie noted that if Elena wasn't around, Damon wasn't exactly a barrel of laughs. Bonnie had already spoken to Professor Shane about his wife and Silas, which he hadn't revealed much apart from something about Silas's older brother, Antipatros, who had put a curse on Qetsiyah herself so that she would suffer for all eternity on the other side watching Silas and Amara falling in love over and over again throughout history, until Silas rose and the curse could be broken. And if it was true, Qetsiyah herself could also rise as there was another way to destroy Silas. However Professor Shane wasn't clear about what parts of the curse were true, and how else Silas could be destroyed, suggesting it was just a myth to encourage the Five to feed Silas the cure. Bonnie made a mental note to keep in mind that there might be an alternative way to destroy Silas, should they need it. As she'd now gotten Professor Shane to talk a little, Bonnie decided it was time to probe him on their mysterious disappearing trails and phone signals.

"Am I the only witch on this island?" Bonnie suddenly asked.

"Why do you asked that?" Professor Shane said curiously.

"I dunno." Bonnie sighed. "Disappearing phone signals..."

"Clouds?" Professor Shane suggested, interrupting her.

"Maybe." Bonnie shrugged. "But the trail I left for Elena, Stefan and Rebekah also disappeared." she told him. "Only another witch could do that." she frowned.

"Has Damon been filling your head with ridiculous theories?" Professor Shane asked. "Let me tell you this, the minute we grab that cure he's going to want me dead. In fact I suspect Rebekah would also want me dead." he told her. "If I try anything on Damon whilst the others are around, then I'm a dead man walking." he added.

"So you do have a witch." Bonnie asked looking carefully at Professor Shane for any reaction, however he just looked on ahead.

"C'mon. We're nearly there." he said stopping, as they came to the top of a cliff overlooking a lake and what looked like a cave on the other side.

"Why are we stopping?" Damon asked as he and Vaughn caught up with Professor Shane and Bonnie.

"That's where we're going." Professor Shane told them, pointing towards the cave on the other side of the lake. "Follow me." he said as he began climbing down what looked like a small path along the cliff face. Bonnie set off down, following Professor Shane with Damon behind her whilst he pulled Vaughn behind him on the rope.

Caroline and Tyler returned to the Gilbert house after only about an hour. Caroline carried a laptop in her hands whilst Tyler had the sword wrapped in a blanket. Both items at the ready to decipher the hunters mark and point their friends in the right direction. They began to set up the laptop as Tyler typed in the laptop password, all the while Klaus was sat on the living room coffee table, watching on with interest.

"Well, if it isn't little orphan Lockwood. Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?" Klaus taunted Tyler as Caroline flopped down on the dining room sofa.

"I'm just trying to help my friends find the cure." Tyler responded. "Found this in your attic." he said as he unwrapped the blanket from the sword.

"And you think finding the sword brings you closer to the cure?" Klaus asked, raising a knowing eyebrow.

"You tell me. I was playing around with the handle on the ride over, and I found this." Tyler replied with a smile, as he unwrapped the leather from the hilt of the sword, revealing a turning device, prompting a fascinated Klaus to get up and walk over to Tyler, to get a closer look.

"And what do you think 'this' is?" Klaus asked, smirking.

"It's called a cryptex." Caroline told him as she got up and walked over to him, whilst Tyler looked at her, impressed by her knowledge. "I've seen The Da Vinci Code." Caroline grinned. "You turn the different sides to the different symbols to get the translation on the other side." she grinned as she turned to the table which housed the laptop. "And with the magic of the internet, Elena sent over these." she told them as she held up print-outs of Connor's tattoo. "So now all we have to do is cryptex away." she grinned smugly as she sat back down again. "If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you." Caroline suggested to Klaus, deciding if she made him feel inclusive as opposed to isolating him, he might be more amenable and helpful.

"Right. Well, might I suggest using the magic of the internet to purchase an Aramaic-to-English dictionary from your nearest retailer." Klaus smirked.

Tyler turned to look at Caroline. "What's Aramaic" he asked confused.

"It's a dead language. It hasn't been used since, like, biblical times." Caroline frowned.

"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing." Klaus suggested, "You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate." he sighed as he sat back down on the coffee table. "Perhaps weeks. "In bas so-teen-too ara-ma-eet."" Klaus said, feigning sympathy.

"What does that mean?" Caroline asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

""If only you spoke Aramaic."" Klaus grinned smugly.

Back on the island, Elena and Stefan were sitting on a log together, looking after their bags, whilst they watched Rebekah raising her cellphone in the air to try and find a signal, however it was clear there must have been no service as she soon gave up.

"And once again, everyone's life is in danger looking for this cure because poor Elena can't deal with being a vampire." Elena sighed.

"No. Everyone's here because they want to be." Stefan told her. "Not just for you, but for themselves too."

"Stefan, why didn't you tell me that you wanted the cure for yourself?" Elena asked.

"I mean, why wouldn't I want to take it?"Stefan replied. "I've seen every side of vampirism there is. The power...the misery, the guilt. In the long run, even the good parts kind of suck, too."

"Yeah, I mean, I know why you would want to take it, but what I'm saying is...why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked again.

"Because it had nothing to do with you." Stefan explained. "I mean, you know how much I wanted a human life with you. Being human myself, being normal...that's something I've wanted since long before I met you." he told her.

"Well, I'm glad you told me now." Elena smiled.

"Yeah, what's a deeply buried personal secret between friends, right?" Stefan joked.

"Between friends?" Elena nodded. "I like that." she said smiling at Stefan before reaching for his hand as a gesture of friendship.

"Come on." Damon pulled on the rope. "Hurry up." he complained as they got to the bottom of the cliff face, opposite the cave.

"And you'll what? Threaten me? Sorry if you're upset about the cure, Damon, but we've got rocks to cover." Vaughn smirked.

"I don't care about the cure. In fact, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to be a vampire." Damon shrugged. "You know what? If I wasn't a vampire, then I wouldn't be able to do nine of the things I'm gonna do to you when we're done here." he complained as Vaughn tugged against the rope. "Make that ten." he growled.

"Right." Vaughn sneered as Bonnie turned around and glared at them both.

"All right, I admit it, okay? My friends want the cure, and I want them to have it, and I get very upset when I can't provide for my loved ones." Damon declared. "But tell me something, Vaughn, if all you're worried about is Bonnie the teenage witch, then who the hell made the magic trail disappear? Shouldn't you be worried about them too?" he asked, deciding to see if Vaughn might be either linked to Professor Shane, or have anything to do with covering their tracks.

"And why would I do that?" Vaughn asked.

"Oh I don't know." Damon sighed. "The magic trail Bonnie left behind suddenly disappeared when we found you, who happened to manage to stake an Original vampire on their first attempt. Do you expect me to believe that's a coincidence?" he asked.

"I've no idea what you're talking about." Vaughn told him. "I just saw the fancy stake and was looking at it when this vampire showed up, so I staked him." he explained.

"We're on a remote island. There's you, me, Bonnie and Creepy over there." Damon said, pointing to Professor Shane. "You expect me to believe that you took out an Original vampire without the help of a witch?" he asked.

"I'm telling you, it was-nae me." Vaughn insisted. "I didn't make your magical path disappear." he said as Bonnie and Professor Shane stopped in front of them, looking at what appeared to be a body on the ground.

Damon turned the body over with his foot revealing a man who'd had his throat slashed and was clearly dead.

"Was that you?" Damon asked turning to Vaughn.

"No." Vaughn shook his head before looking at Damon. "You?" he asked.

"No" Damon replied.

"Your friends?" Vaughn suggested.

"Rebekah would never use a knife." Bonnie chimed in.

"She'd use her fangs instead." Damon grinned.

"Well, I reckon there really is someone else on this island." Vaughn agreed, glancing up at Damon and cocking his head slightly in the direction of Professor Shane.

"I think you could well be right." Damon nodded as the four of them set off to climb the rocks to the cave where Silas was buried.

Caroline was sat with Tyler in the Gilbert dining room with the pictures of Connor's tattoo and index cards of the Aramaic symbols scattered across the table, trying to decipher their meaning.

"Okay, this is it." Caroline announced. "We've translated all the symbols on the tattoo. This one says "Passage inside...requires a young senator, and a pretty flower."" she said frowning. "Okay, none of this makes sense!" she huffed.

""Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom."" Klaus corrected her.

"What are you doing?" Tyler asked Klaus suspiciously.

"I don't need to tell you my reasons." Klaus told Tyler. "Caroline. Bring my sword over here." Klaus commanded as Caroline took the sword over to Klaus, close enough for him to read the cryptex.

""Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand."" Klaus said, glancing at the pictures of Connor's tattoo on the computer screen. "Turn the cryptex to the right." he told Caroline, who happily complied. "Stop." Klaus commanded. "The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map. Turn it to the left." he said as Caroline did as he asked. "Now turn the other piece." Klaus told her. "There's something else." he said frowning, before reading it and smiling to himself.

"What does it mean?" Caroline asked but Klaus just continued to grin. "Klaus, what does it mean?" she demanded.

"Nothing much." Klaus shrugged and smiled. "It's just part of the map." he told her. "Call Rebekah back." Klaus ordered as Caroline picked up her phone and called Rebekah.

"Hello?" Rebekah said, answering the phone immediately.

"Hey, it's Caroline. We have the translation of the tattoo." Caroline told her. "We're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now." she said as she clicked on the send button on Tyler's laptop.

"Got it. Thanks." Rebekah said after a few moments, sounding almost grateful.

"Actually, it was me." Klaus called out.

"Nik, you helped?" Rebekah asked, sounding shocked at this new piece of information.

"You sound so surprised, little sister." Klaus shrugged.

"Shouldn't I be? I mean, you don't want me to be human. You don't want any of us to be human. Why would you help us find the cure?" Rebekah asked suspiciously.

"Maybe I finally realized the longer I stand in the way of what you want, the longer you'll continue to hate me." Klaus suggested. "Perhaps I want my sister to finally know happiness." he smiled.

"Fool me once, shame on you; fool me a hundred times." Rebekah said sarcastically.

"No more fooling. No more games. I hope you get to live, and die, as you wish." Klaus said, his voice sounding almost sincere.

"So do I." Rebekah sighed.

"There is one more thing, Rebekah." Klaus began as Caroline and Tyler looked up, realizing Klaus was going to reveal the important information he'd been withholding from them. "There is only one dose of the cure." Klaus said quickly. "You need to find it first and take it. It's the only way you'll..." Klaus tried to finish, however Tyler rushed to end the call.

"So that was the 'nothing much'?" Caroline asked, folding her arms as Klaus smiled back smugly.

Damon, Bonnie, Professor Shane and Vaughn, entered the cave which led to Silas's crypt only to find a man with a painted face, waiting inside for them.

"I see your disappearing spell worked." Professor Shane said to the man.

"So the reason the path behind me..." Bonnie started.

"Magically disappeared?" Professor Shane nodded and smiled. "You can thank the talents of Massak. He's a witch. Should you try to escape, he'll ensure that you never find your way back." he warned them. "So, the gang's all here. Silas awaits." he smiled.

"This is as far as I go." Massak told him.

"We're on the brink of a monumental event in human history. We're going to raise the most powerful immortal creature that ever was. Come on, our work's not done yet." Professor Shane insisted, excitedly as Bonnie, Damon and Vaughn watched on, fascinated by this exchange.

"Mine is." Massak told him. "You said make sure nobody followed. I did. I wanna get paid now." he said, as Professor Shane opened his bag and pulled out the tombstone they'd taken from Kol. He walked over and handed it to Massak, who, after taking the tombstone looked over towards Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn.

"I'll say a prayer for your souls." he said and quickly left, leaving just the four of them, prompting Bonnie to turn to Professor Shane in anger.

"That's what the tombstone was for?" Bonnie said angrily. "To pay off a mercenary?"

"The core of that tombstone is made up of Qetsiyah's calcified blood." Professor Shane explained. "In some witch circles, that stone's more valuable than the Hope Diamond." he said

"I'd prefer the Hope Diamond." Damon muttered, earning him a snigger from Vaughn and a glare from Bonnie, as they walked on a few more steps, with Professor Shane leading the way. Suddenly they reached what looked like a large hole in the ground, as Professor Shane knelt down to look inside before turning back to face the others.

"You know, you don't have to come with us." Professor Shane told Damon. "We only need Bonnie and the hunter..."

"Galen Vaughn!" Vaughn interrupted him the professor who rolled his eyed. "My name is Galen Vaughn."

"Fine!" he snapped. "We only need Bonnie and Galen to get into the tomb." Professor Shane explained.

Ah, no can do." Damon laughed. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?" he asked. "Firstly the moment I let go of this rope, Shrek here is going to have this insatiable urge to kill me. Right?" he asked turning to Vaughn, who nodded profusely in response. "And secondly, I don't trust you to keep Bonnie safe. Ergo, she goes, I go." Damon smiled.

"Okay." Professor Shane sighed. "So...so who wants to go down first?"he asked.

"I'll go down with first with Shrek here." Damon said getting a flashlight out from his bag before picking Vaughn up. "I'd close your eyes if I were you Shrek." he grinned as Vaughn huffed at the nickname, however he obeyed and closed his eyes as Damon jumped down the well.

"I'll go next." Bonnie offered, as she fixed herself to the rope and harness, carefully lowering herself down into the lower chamber of the cave below. Suddenly she lost her grip and fell the rest of the way down, however Damon managed to catch her, preventing herself from getting hurt.

"Thanks." Bonnie said, shaking a little from the scare of falling.

"You okay?" Damon asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I just slipped." Bonnie smile. "I'm just a little shook up. I'll be okay in a minute." she reassured them taking in deep breaths to calm herself down, before unhooking the rope for her harness.

"Hey, guys, I'm coming down." Professor Shane called down from above.

"Hey, Bonnie." Vaughn said quietly."What do you think is gonna happen once you cast a spell on my tattoo and there's nothing in between Shane and Silas?" he asked.

"Do you trust me?" Bonnie asked, looking at Vaughn and then at Damon.

"Yeah, sure I do." Damon replied, whilst Vaughn simply raised on eyebrow suspiciously.

"Then trust me when I promise I won't let Shane raise Silas." she whispered to the both of them, as they suddenly heard noises from above, prompting them to look up before Damon turned back and lowered his mouth to Bonnie's ear so Professor Shane couldn't hear.

"Just don't do anything stupid okay? Shane is the only one that could help you keep it in control if the witchy juju starts to get too much." he whispered.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Bonnie reassured them. "But if Shane tries to lift a finger on his hand to hurt any one of us...I'll kill him myself." she whispered.

Shane finally joined Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn in the new chamber, as they all of held flashlights, shining them around, taking in their new surroundings.

"It's just amazing, isn't it?" Professor Shane said excitedly to the others. "Once we raise Silas, all of our sacrifices will have been worthwhile, we'll all have what we want." he said.

"Or he'll kill us all." Bonnie shrugged.

"Listen, you're going to see I'm right. Just so you don't get any ideas, remember, anything happens to me, something a lot worse will happen to you." Professor Shane warned Bonnie.

"All right Professor Creepy, where is this mystical passage that needs opening?" Damon interrupted him.

"Just look for anything that looks out of place, all right? Anything not occurring in nature like a...like a drawing or an inscription." Professor Shane explained. "Or a...geometrically perfect circle!" he said slowly, grinning as he crouched down on the ground and brushed away dirt and debris and revealing a circle carved into the ground.

"This is it! This is the spot." Professor Shane cried out, slapping the ground.

"So what now?" Damon asked, as he, Bonnie and Vaughn all looked at each other nervously.

"Bonnie needs to draw the spell from Galen." Professor Shane explained.

"And how exactly does she do that?" Vaughn asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"She needs to feel the spell part of the tattoo." Professor Shane told them.

"And where is that.?" Bonnie asked.

"It's on my chest." Vaughn said. "Does that mean she's going to have to touch my chest?" Vaughn asked, turning to Professor Shane, who just nodded. Sighing, Vaughn managed to partially remove his jacket and shirt revealing his bare chest. A task which proved difficult considering his hands were still bound by the magical rope. "Go ahead, do your worst." he smiled, walking up to Bonnie and standing in front of her as she placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes.

"You're doing it, just breathe, all right?" Professor Shane told her reassuringly. "Focus on what you can do. Don't be afraid of what you can't." he went on. "That's it. It's just like drawing breath. Now just pull the power into you." he added as the tattoo from Vaughn's chest began to slowly disappear, when suddenly the ground started to shake and rocks began raining down upon them.

"Run for cover." Professor Shane cried out as Damon pushed Bonnie and Vaughn out of the way, leaving Professor Shane among the falling debris.

As quickly as the rocks had began to fall, they suddenly stopped, allowing Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn to stand back up.

"Is everybody okay?" Damon asked.

"Hey, guys, I think my leg's broken." Professor Shane called out.

"Best to stay off it, then." Bonnie replied sarcastically, earning her a smile from Damon, as she looked around at the rubble and debris before noticing something out of the corner of her eye, prompting her to shine her flashlight at it. "Look! It worked!" she cried out, pointing towards where the light was shining, revealing a new tunnel which wasn't there before.

"Well, lets go then." Damon suggested as the three of them set off down the passage to find Silas.

After their call with Caroline, Rebekah, Elena, and Stefan set off walking across the island to the location of the cure according to the map which Klaus and Caroline had translated from the sword. Rebekah hadn't revealed to her fellow cure hunters that there was only one dose, as there was no point. The only person she'd have considered giving it to was Stefan, however she suspected he'd only give it to Elena, which she had a problem with, not because it was Elena, but because he was wasting his time. Elena had told him time and again that she was in love with Damon, everyone could see it was only Damon and likely to ever only be Damon, and even if she became human, that was not going to change, so why use it on the wasted hope of someone falling back in love with you when it was clear that the only way that would happen is if the person was forced to by some form of magic. As a result, Rebekah had decided upon her course of action, even if it did make her feel a little guilty, but sometimes one had to be selfish.

"What did Caroline say?" Elena asked, breaking Rebekah's train of thought.

"I don't know. We lost the signal." Rebekah told her. "Come on, this way." she added as they reached the edge of a cliff and came to a stop. Rebekah held up the phone to cross reference their location and the instructions Caroline had sent them. "We need to get down and across. Advantage, vampires, all we have to do is jump." she smiled at Stefan and Elena.

"Wait, wait. Um...maybe you should leave the map behind. In case you fall, you don't want anything to happen to the phone." Elena said nervously. Although she knew she was a vampire and wouldn't die, the thought of jumping down off the cliff terrified her as it must have been at least a couple of hundred feet high, and she was still new to the idea of herself being immortal.

"Are we doing this again? I thought we were a team?" Rebekah sighed in frustration.

"Guys, we don't have time for this."Stefan interrupted them before the row escalated. "Elena, you go first. We'll be right behind you." he suggested as Elena hesitated for one moment before taking a running leap off the edge. Even though the fall had been huge, Elena had still managed to land on her feet, stumbling only slightly. She looked back up the cliff, proud of her achievement and waited for Stefan to jump down and join her.

Once Elena was firmly down below, Stefan got set to jump, but Rebekah wanted to know if her suspicions about what Stefan would do with the single dose of the cure were correct before she did what she needed to do, so she threw out her arm to stop him from jumping.

"There's something you should know about the cure." Rebekah told him.

"What is it?" Stefan asked frowning.

"There's only one dose." Rebekah told him.

"You're kidding me." Stefan's shoulders dropped.

"That's what Klaus said." Rebekah said.

"So you're sure that Klaus is telling the truth? That there's only one dose of the cure?" Stefan asked as Rebekah gently nodded in reply. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you're dumb enough to hold out hope." he sighed.

"There's still hope for one of us. But even if I felt pity for you, if I wanted to ease your pain, so I gave you the cure to take for yourself, you'd give it to Elena, wouldn't you?" Rebekah asked, but Stefan's lack of reply, only confirmed her suspicion. "That's what I thought." Rebekah said sadly. "Well, I'm sorry that it couldn't work out the way that we all wanted it to." Stefan looked at Rebekah confused, before she snapped his neck and his body fell to the ground. Elena watched on in horror from the bottom of the cliff as Rebekah, put her bag down beside Stefan.

"Need to be careful with that ash, don't want any spilled. I'm sure you'll look after it for me, not that it'll be of any use to anyone trying to off me once I'm out of the cave." Rebekah said to herself as she jumped down to join Elena.

"No hard feelings eh?" Rebekah smiled as she walked over to Elena and snapped her neck, not giving the doppelganger chance to fight back, as she set off towards the cave to find the cure, whilst another set of prying eyes were watching the scene unfold with interest from the top of the cliff.

  
  


 

 


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Tyler stormed out of the front door, slamming it behind him as he began pacing up and down on the front porch and running his fingers through his hair. Caroline quickly followed behind, only to find him getting stressed out over what had just taken place over the phone with the information Klaus had given Rebekah.

"Every time I think I have him, that son of a bitch gets the upper hand." Tyler growled, as he stopped pacing to look at Caroline.

"We won't let him hurt you." Caroline promised him. "Stefan and Elena will bring back the cure."

"If they get to it first! And if they don't, Klaus kills me." Tyler told her, beginning to panic. "I need to get out of town to figure out how I'm gonna stay alive..." he told her.

"Wait, hang on, okay?" Caroline stopped him. "Gosh! Before you get all doomsday, just...At least let me try and talk to him." she added, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

"He's got nothing to lose, Care." Tyler explained. "His hybrids are gone, he won't be able to make any others because Elena won't be able to take the cure. All he wants right now is blood, starting with mine." he said, his panic rising once more, as Caroline walked over to him and cupped his face in her hands.

"I'm not gonna say goodbye to you again, do you understand me?" Caroline said gently. "Let me fix this." she reassured him as Tyler nodded back at her and she smiled in return, hoping she'd said enough to calm him down for the time being.

Rebekah left Elena lying on the rocks, dead for all to see, however the Original knew it wouldn't last long, and she may have only a few minutes head start on her before she woke up. She made her way around the lake, only to spot the body of a dead man laying on the ground face up. He had blue and white face paint markings on his face but more significantly, his throat had been slit, which meant it was unlikely to be a vampire, unless they were covering their tracks. Rebekah suspected the man hadn't been dead too long, maybe only a few hours as his body was still 'fresh'. Sidestepping around him, she continued until she found the cave, which according to the translated map, was the place where the cure was hidden. Just before she reached the cave, she noticed a man leaving, and making his way towards her. As he got closer, Rebekah noticed he also carried the same markings on his face, she also noticed that he had the tombstone in his hand.

"So you were the one who stole it from me!" Rebekah demanded as she vamp-sped up to the man who looked confused by the accusation.

"No." he replied. "The Professor has given me this as payment for his services." he told her.

"What would you want with an old rock?" Rebekah asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I'm a witch." the man told her. "This rock is significant to me."

"Is that all we needed it for?" Rebekah asked. "To make sure you allowed Professor Shane to get to the cave safely?" her voice began to grow increasingly louder.

"It is." the man replied, nodding his head.

"Is it just significant for your people? Or is it significant within the witch community." Rebekah asked.

"Why do you want to know?" the man eyed Rebekah suspiciously.

"No reason." Rebekah smiled sweetly, pretending to get ready to leave. "Well, I must be on my way, I've got a cure to find." she added as she suddenly snapped the man's neck. Sighing with frustration as she realized she'd left her bag with Stefan, Rebekah decided to hide the rock next to a large boulder a little way off as it was the only significantly different looking rock around. She wasn't sure why she wanted the tombstone, but if it was useful to witches, it was obviously something of value to them, which could be helpful if she ever needed the assistance of a witch in future. Once hidden, Rebekah stood up and smacked the dust from her hands, before making her way back towards the place where she'd killed the witch, before climbing up the rock face and into the small entrance of the cave.

Katherine crouched down out of sight of Rebekah as she watched her jump off the cliff, before crawling over towards the edge to watch her snap Elena's neck down at the bottom and set off to find the cure. Knowing she was short on time, Katherine rummaged through the bag which Rebekah had thoughtfully left, containing the dagger and white oak ash. Her original plan was to snap the Original's neck which would hopefully have been enough to keep her at bay, long enough to get in, grab the cure and get out. Although she couldn't dagger the Original herself, she'd hoped that she'd be able to talk the Professor into doing the job for her. Katherine had noticed his behavior around Rebekah at the campsite, and suspected that he'd be more than happy to do it before she killed him later. With this in mind, the dagger and ash was a bonus she hadn't previously anticipated, meaning she would hopefully have more time to deal with Damon, the witch and the hunter after killing the Professor.

Once she'd found the dagger and ash, Katherine jumped to the bottom of the cliff and swapped her clothes with Elena's, giving her a chance to get close enough to Damon and Bonnie and stop them from taking the cure before they worked out who she really was. Katherine figured it would give her five minutes with Bonnie and about ten seconds with Damon. Especially as kissing him was now off the cards, he'd know straight away who she was with her kissing skills being superior to her lame doppelganger.

As soon as she'd swapped clothes with Elena she set off at vamp-sped around the lake, not stopping when she came to the dead body of the man who's throat she'd slit earlier, after he'd discovered she'd initially been following the Professor. It wasn't that she'd needed the Professor to find the cure, Kol Mikaelson had already located the cave when he arrived, and she'd just waited at the campsite to find out what was going on and then made her way to lake. There, she'd waited for the intrepid trio to arrive before she could put her plan into action.

When Stefan, Rebekah and Elena had arrived at the top of the cliff, Katherine wasn't surprised when she overheard Rebekah tell Stefan that there was only one dose of the cure. This was something she'd suspected all along as the cure was only ever designed for Silas and vampires didn't even exist when Qetsiyah created it, so why would anyone stupidly think there would be more than one dose?

Making her way past the man at vamp-speed, Katherine had almost caught up with Rebekah, prompting her to pause and hide behind a rock whilst the Original was talking to another man outside the entrance to the cave, with a rock in his hand. Suddenly Rebekah snapped the man's neck and took the rock (which Katherine suspected to be the tombstone) from him and began to walk in the opposite direction, away from the cave. Taking this as her cue to get ahead of Rebekah, Katherine slipped unnoticed into the cave, but watched on in interest from the entrance to see where Rebekah put the tombstone. If Rebekah felt it was important enough to steal, Katherine decided she wanted to get her hands on it too.

After Rebekah had placed the tombstone in it's hiding place, Katherine climbed deeper into the cave and sat in wait for the Original vampire as her only advantage was to use the element of surprise. Settling into a position behind a rock close to the well, Katherine waited until Rebekah arrived to make her move. Rebekah would never suspect her having the dagger as Rebekah had left it with Stefan.

Professor Shane was sat alone, his leg broken as one of the rocks had hit it when Bonnie had removed the spell from Vaughn. For the last year, he'd made it his life's work to raise Silas to bring back his wife and son. However, just as he'd gotten within reach of opening the tomb, when everything had gone wrong in one fell swoop of a rock. He suspected none of the vampires would help him, the only one who'd likely have tried would have been Elena, as the others appeared to want him dead. However, Elena had gone missing and unless she found him soon, he was probably going to die alone in this cave.

Suddenly Professor Shane heard whispering sounds fill the cave, he turned to look in the direction of the noise and saw his wife appear.

"Caitlin. I'm sorry, Caitlin. I failed you." Professor Shane cried in desperation.

"No. You didn't." Caitlin smiled.

"I'm sorry. I tried." Professor Shane begged, tears pouring from his eyes.

"Shh. You did everything I asked you to." Caitlin told him. "Everything is going to be just fine." she reassured him, as Professor Shane closed his eyes in relief, however when he opened them again, she was gone.

Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn climbed deeper and deeper down through the passage that had opened up after Bonnie had withdrawn the spell from Vaughn's chest. Although the tattoo was gone, Damon still didn't trust that Vaughn wouldn't want to kill him for being a vampire. He may have lost the urge as the mark had now been removed, but it had become his life's work and force of habit might compel the hunter to still attack him.

"Look at us." Bonnie laughed. "How come we are the ones that made it here this far?" she asked.

"Because we're awesome." Damon grinned.

"Actually, I think you'll find it was because of me." Vaughn said dryly

"Nobody asked you Shrek." Damon bantered back as they went quiet for a moment whilst Bonnie continued to lead the way. "Where is "here," exactly?" Damon suddenly asked.

"This way." Bonnie pointed the way forward.

"How do you know?" Vaughn asked curiously.

"I just know." Bonnie smiled as she continued walking, whilst Damon and Vaughn looked at each other and shrugged as they both followed.

Just a few minutes later Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn reached a larger open cavern with a side chamber containing what could only be Silas's tomb. The sarcophagus looked as if it were built in stone, and shaped like a human figure lying on a table, covered in vine-like decoration.

"Well, here we are." Damon said. "What do we do next?" he asked, turning to Bonnie, who just shook her head and shrugged.

Rebekah made her way into the cave and down some steps leading what looked like and old mine shaft, before caming across what looked like a well, which had a rope already attached, suggesting someone had already been here. She suspected the rope would have been taken if they'd have left which meant the Professor, Bonnie, Damon and she guessed Connor must all be down the well. Rebekah checked her phone to make sure she was right when she heard a noise coming from behind a rock. Turning to see the source of the noise, she was suddenly attacked by what looked to be Elena, although Rebekah realized immediately that her assailant was too quick to be her, which meant the only other person it could be was Katherine. Before Rebekah had chance to retaliate, Katherine snapped her neck and the Original fell to the ground.

"Hello. Hello?" Katherine heard the voice of the Professor coming out from the bottom of the well.

"Professor Shane!" she called out looking down from the top of the well and shining a flashlight down below. "What happened?" Katherine asked feigning concern.

"Elena is that you?" Professor Shane cried out.

"Yeah it's me." Katherine replied. "What happened? Where is everyone?" she asked.

"I fell." he told her. "I think I broke my leg, but everyone left me." he complained as a smile grew on Katherine's face, her plan was going to go even better than she thought.

"I'll come down and help you." Katherine told him. "But I'm going to need your help too." she said picking up Rebekah's body and jumping down the well and landing next to Professor Shane.

"I'm going to need some of your blood to heal me." Professor Shane told her in a panicked voice.

"I will help you as soon as you put this into Rebekah's heart." Katherine promised as she handed over the dagger to a confused looking Professor Shane. "She was working with Kol." she explained. "She was going to destroy Silas as soon as we got to him. But we don't have much time." Katherine explained. "She could wake any minute and I was only able to snap her neck because she didn't know I was there. It wont work twice." she pleaded as she held Rebekah's body in front of Professor Shane.

"Why can't you do it?" Professor Shane frowned.

"Because I'm a vampire and it will kill me if I do." Katherine told him. "Don't worry, you're not actually killing her. If we pull the dagger out she'll wake up again, but you need to hurry, otherwise she'll kill us both." she urged, which seemed to convince the Professor, because he stopped hesitating and thrust the dagger into Rebekah's heart, causing the Original's skin to become gray and veiny, mimicking the death of any normal vampire.

"Can you help me now Elena?" Professor Shane asked. "My leg is broken and I'm in a lot of pain. If you feed me your blood we should be able to get going again." he told her.

"Why did they leave you here?" Katherine asked, bending down towards the Professor. "And which way did they do?"

"They went that way." Professor Shane told her, pointing in the direction of the passageway leading to Silas's tomb. "When we searched for Connor, but we never found him, instead we found another hunter. He's managed to convince Damon and Bonnie to feed the cure to Silas and kill him." he explained as Katherine nodded. "Please help, I'm in so much pain." he begged, tears filling his eyes as the blackness of pain overcame him.

"Of course I'll help." Katherine said sweetly. "I'll get rid of your pain for you, I'll be back in a minute." she told him as she headed down the passageway leading to the tomb..

Damon, Bonnie and Vaughn entered the chamber where the tomb was hidden, looking for clues as to what to do next. As the three of them slowly approached the sarcophagus and looked more closely at the detail, they could clearly see the hands of the figure holding a small box on its chest.

"Is this it? Is that the cure?" Damon asked.

"I think it is." Bonnie said looking at it closely as Vaughn began to try and prize the box out of the figure's hands.

"It's stuck." Vaughn told them. "I cannae get the thing out with this still around my hands." he complained, holding up his rope bound wrists.

"Move over." Damon said shoving Vaughn out of the way. "Here, take this." he told Bonnie as he handed her the rope. "I've got vampire strength, I might as well put it to some good use for once." he grumbled as he tried to remove the little box from the stone looking hands, yet to no avail.

"Let me try." Bonnie said, handing the rope back a bemused looking Damon, before trying to move it herself. "It's, like, fossilized in place." she sad. "It's like trying to bend stone." she added as she looked up at Damon, when it hit her what was wrong. "Oh, my god." Bonnie grimaced.

"What?" Damon asked as Bonnie backed away, looking at the sarcophagus. "What is it Bonnie?"

"He's been frozen like a vampire statue for two thousand years." Bonnie told Damon as he suddenly began to realize where this was going. "There's only one way we're gonna get the statue to unfreeze." she said.

"How's that?" Vaughn asked from behind them, prompting Bonnie to turn to look at him.

"We have to feed him our blood." Bonnie whispered. "If we want to get the cure out of his hands, we...we have to wake him up." she said fearfully.

After overhearing the conversation outside between Tyler and Caroline, Klaus was sat, in an armchair in the Gilbert's living room, waiting for Caroline to come and plead for Tyler's life, expecting her to furious and upset, Klaus readied himself for the confrontation. However, when the front door opened and Caroline walked in, instead of the aggressive, angry beauty he was prepared to do business with, a calm and collected, albeit, sad Caroline was what met him, almost catching him off guard.

"You can't kill Tyler." Caroline told him softly.

"Not only can I, I have to. I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to." Klaus frowned.

"I'm not asking you to forgive him." Caroline explained. "All I'm asking is that you let him live, somewhere far from here." she said.

"So he gets to live a happy life after he turned all my hybrids against me, after he tried to kill me, after he made it his life's mission to find the cure so he could use it against me..." Klaus started listing all of the things Tyler had done to warrant his wrath.

"We all want the cure." Caroline said defensively.

"Do we?" Klaus asked as Caroline stared unblinking at him. "Do you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." Caroline replied, surprised by Klaus's question. "There's only one, so it's not like I'm gonna get it anyway." she deflected.

"But if you could...you wouldn't, would you?" Klaus smirked, as Caroline remained silent, however the look on her face gave away her answer to the hybrid. "You prefer who you are now to the girl you once were. You like being strong, ageless, fearless." Klaus took a step closer to her. "We're the same, Caroline." he whispered.

"Then show me." Caroline cried.. "You know how much I love Tyler. You can see how scared I am to lose him. If you and I are so similar, then show me your compassion. Show him the mercy that I would show you." she demanded.

"Mercy? For Tyler?" Klaus cried out. "Very well. Tell him to leave town immediately." he began to walk away but stopped before turning back. "And tell him to run and hide in a place I will never find him." he growled.

"Of course." Caroline agreed excitedly as she turned and went to grab her jacket.

"Tell him that this is the mercy I extend for your sake...that I will give him a head start before I kill him." Klaus smiled maliciously, causing Caroline's face to fall as she turned back to face Klaus.

"But you're still going to kill him right?" Caroline asked sadly.

"Only if I find him." Klaus admitted. "And the sooner he leaves, the more chance he will have of me _not_ finding him." he clarified, prompting Caroline to rush out of the house to tell Tyler to leave.

When Caroline walked outside, she saw Tyler sitting on the porch swing, clearly aware of the conversation that had just taken place inside as he was looking down at his hands thoughtfully, before glancing back towards the window to see Klaus and then to look at Caroline, who came and sat next to him and placed her hand on his thigh.

"How many times are we gonna have to say goodbye?" Caroline asked sadly.

"At least this time we have a minute to do it the right way." Tyler joked, trying to lighten the situation but it didn't work, Caroline's face crumpled and she started to cry.

"There isn't a right way." Caroline insisted.

"This isn't goodbye." Tyler said reassuringly, trying to find the right words. "This is...until we find a way. We're immortal, remember? We will find a way." he insisted.

"What if we don't?" Caroline sobbed. "Tell me that you'll never think of me again. Tell me that you'll forget about me, tell me that you are gonna go on and live a full and happy life without me." she begged, not meaning a single word of what she was saying.

Tyler took Caroline's hand and looked at her sadly, his eyes glistening from the tears forming. "I will live a happy life without you. I will forget all about you. And I will never, ever, think about you again." Tyler said, clearly meaning the exact opposite of every word he said as Caroline continued to cry. Finally Tyler leaned in and kissed her, it however was a goodbye kiss, it was full of love and wishful promises, but with no guarantees, as they held onto one another for a few moments, even after they broke away from their kiss.

"Until we find a way." Tyler nodded and kissed Caroline on her forehead. Realizing he was now leaving, Caroline's broke down in despair, as she struggled to gasp for breath before she finally let go of him. Tyler got up from the swing and walked down the porch steps and away from the house, leaving Caroline sat all alone on the swing crying tears of desolation.

Down in the chamber in Silas's crypt, Damon and Bonnie were desperately trying to find ways to get to the cure without opening the tomb. They knew if they removed the cure, people would be less likely to want to raise Silas, and as the hunter's mark no longer existed, it meant the map would forever disappear. To try and get to the cure, Damon's latest strategy was to try and violently strike the tomb with a rock.

"Ah, come on!" Vaughn sighed. "There's only one way we're going to get that little box out of his hands." he said.

"There's got to be a way to do this without raising him." Bonnie insisted, as Damon nodded in agreement as he carried on hitting the tomb. "We'll find a way..." she said.

"We have to raise Silas, and we have to do it now." Vaughn demanded interrupting Bonnie before quickly pulling a small pen knife out of his pocket and driving it into her back causing her to fall to the ground and drop the rope, before he made a small cut into his hand and rushed over to the sarcophagus.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie cried out in pain, her voice weak.

"What you shoulda done already. I'm gonna raise Silas..." Vaughn told her as he dripped his blood into the figure's mouth. "Then I'm gonna kill him." he said. Damon tried to attack Vaughn from behind but Vaughn was prepared and managed hold Damon off.

"You're a bit confused, Damon. I thought we we're on the same team here." Vaughn tried to reason with the vampire.

"You stabbed my friend!" Damon cried back angrily, who looked over to Bonnie who was already passed out, although Damon could hear her heartbeat, so he knew she was fine for the moment, whilst he tried to stop Vaughn from raising Silas.

"I don't mess around with witches." Vaughn scowled when suddenly a noise from behind distracted them both, and what looked to be Elena emerged into the chamber as she flew over to Vaughn and punched him, knocking him out.

"Be careful, don't kill him." Damon reminded her. "The hunter's curse!" he cried, causing Elena to pause for a moment and threw Vaughn to the ground, who looked to be unconscious as she vamp sped over to Damon.

"You okay?" Elena asked, her voice sounding full of concern as Damon smiled.

"We need to help Bonnie." Damon told her. "The hunter stabbed her." he said.

"Okay." Elena smiled, in a way that Damon recognized, but it wasn't Elena's smile. "I just need to make sure that you're okay first." she said.

"I'm fine." Damon said, suddenly realizing it was Katherine stood in front of him. "What are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep her distracted.

"I want the cure Damon!" Katherine told him.

"Katherine!" Damon whispered as Katherine grinned and snapped Damon's neck, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Sorry Damon. I'm sure you understand." she said as she walked over to Vaughn and fed him her blood, prompting him to wake up.

"You're Elena right?" Vaughn asked as he stood up.

"Wrong, I'm Katherine, and I want that cure, and you're going to get it for me." she told him as she grabbed Vaughn, vamp-sped him over to the tomb, and pushed his wrist to cover the stone figure's mouth.

Elena woke up at the bottom of the cliff with a sore neck, however she immediately realized something was wrong when she noticed her jacket was missing. Standing up she looked to the top of the cliff to see if Stefan was awake.

"Stefan?!" she cried.

"Up here." he replied.

"I've got some blood bags in my bag, are you okay to come down or do you want me to go back up to you." she told him realizing she didn't need to shout.

"I'll come down." Stefan said, as Elena suddenly heard a whooshing noise as she saw Stefan drop to the ground from the top of the cliff. As Stefan got to his feet Elena handed him a blood bag as they both sat to drink one each.

"What happened?" Elena asked, not sure exactly what had caused Rebekah to suddenly betray them both, however she suspected the Original had told Stefan before she snapped his neck.

"According to Klaus." he told her. "There's only one dose of the cure." he said sadly.

"There's only one cure?" Elena asked in surprise as Stefan just nodded in response. "And that's why Rebekah left?" she asked, again Stefan nodded. "And she never offered it to you?" she frowned in surprise, Elena knew Rebekah had a soft spot for Stefan and would have possibly given it to him to take over her own needs.

"She knew I'd give it to you." Stefan told her, looking down at his feet before looking at Elena.

"I can't take it. I mean, not above everyone else who deserves it just as much as I do." Elena sighed. "It's over." she said.

"I'm sorry." Stefan apologized.

"Don't be." Elena reassured him. "Maybe it's a blessing in disguise." she suggested.

"How so?" Stefan asked curiously.

"Things changed the minute that I went off that bridge, Stefan." Elena told him. "Even if I could be human again, I wouldn't be the person that I was." she said as Stefan nodded slowly. "So it's about time that I accept the person that I am now and figure out a way...to start living the rest of my life." she smiled determinedly.

"The rest of your life...with Damon?" Stefan asked sadly. "Not having a chance to grow old and have a family as you wanted."

"There's no point if I can't have a family without Damon." Elena admitted, as Stefan stared out at the lake.

"I want to say 'Isn't it a little soon to make that kind of commitment?'" Stefan joked. "But I'm not surprised." he went on as he turned to look at Elena. "He's your soulmate isn't he?" he asked, Elena just raised her eyebrows before smiling and nodding in response. "Well, who am I to fight fate?" Stefan smiled. "Let's go and see if Rebekah or anyone else has found the cure yet." he suggested. "Although it looks like you'll have to break the news to Jeremy that you're stuck being a vampire forever." he joked.

"I guess I'll have to deal with that when I get home." Elena laughed, however she suddenly realized something and her face fell. "Oh my god...Home. Klaus. Bonnie's spell isn't gonna hold him much longer." she cried.

"And after what we did locking him in your house, if we don't ram that cure down his throat, he'll kill us all." Stefan said, wide eyed.

"Pity party over." Elena said, quickly getting up and wiping her hands on her pants. "We have to go." she added, putting her bag over her shoulders.

"What happened to your clothes?" Stefan asked, suddenly realizing Elena was missing her jacket.

"I dunno." she said. "Rebekah must have took it after she snapped my neck." Elena suggested.

"Why would Rebekah want your jacket?" Stefan asked checking through their bags to see if anything else was missing. "The ash and dagger are gone." Stefan told her worriedly.

"I don't like this." Elena frowned.

"Me neither." Stefan agreed.

"I think we need to just get going." Elena said as Stefan nodded in agreement. Picking up their bags, they vamp-sped towards the entrance of the cave, sidestepping the dead man Katherine had killed, before they arrived at the entrance of the cave where they discovered another dead body.

"It looks like someone is leaving a trail of dead bodies." Stefan frowned. "I think we need to be careful." he advised Elena as they climbed into the cave.

Vaughn tried to fight back, but with no weapons and no element of surprise, he was no match for the power of Katherine. Whilst she held the hunter's hand over the mouth with one hand, she tried grabbing the cure with the other, however, although there was a little give, she still couldn't remove it from the stone figure's hands.

"Right, I'm done playing nice!" she said. "I don't have long, and maybe this will speed up the process." Katherine exclaimed as her teeth elongated and she bit into Vaughn's jugular, opening a large wound in his neck. She removed his hand from the mouth of the desiccated figure and pushed Vaughn's neck to its mouth, allowing a faster flow of blood to enter Silas. Keeping Vaughn's head to Silas's mouth, Katherine tried once more to remove the cure, except this time the stone fingers gave way and released the box into her hand. Katherine pulled Vaughn up from Silas's mouth and looked at him cruelly.

"No hard feelings." Katherine told him. "But I hate having loose ends." she said as she snapped his neck and he fell to the floor. Taking in the scene around her for one last time, Katherine fled the chamber, and jumped up out of the well, passing Rebekah's and Professor Shane's daggered and unconscious bodies. Once she left the cave, she quickly searched for the tombstone Rebekah had hidden, before setting off to leave the godforsaken island for good.

Caroline was still sitting on the porch swing after her talk with Tyler. She knew she should have gone back inside to check on Klaus but she couldn't face him, so she'd stayed outside for what must have been at least a couple of hours, thinking of all of the ways she and Tyler could maybe try and be together in the future. Hearing a noise coming from the house, Caroline looked up and noticed the sun was much lower in the sky, then suddenly the front door opened and Klaus walked outside.

"How did you get out?" Caroline cried out, shocked and fearful at the same time.

"I fear something awful has befallen your friend Bonnie." Klaus shrugged as he began to approach her causing Caroline to automatically tense up. "Don't worry, love. You know I'd never hurt you." Klaus said softly.

"You've done enough." Caroline scoffed back, still angry, hurt and upset by Tyler leaving, all on the account of the man stood in front of her.

"I've done more than enough." Klaus cried back, before taking a step back. "I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity...because of you, Caroline. It was all for you." he said his voice suddenly gentle as he stared at her softly. Caroline said nothing in return, for deep down, she knew Tyler had brought some of Klaus's wrath upon himself, and in that moment Caroline realized that Klaus had shown her more kindness in that one act, than Tyler, from Klaus's perspective, deserved. They stared at each other for a moment longer, before Klaus nodded his head and left.

Stefan and Elena jumped down the well to be greeted by Rebekah's daggered body face up on the ground. They both looked around, and spotted the passage, however they couldn't see anyone else in the cave with them.

"Well it looks like Rebekah didn't take your clothes or the ash and dagger." Stefan said. "Let's go." he added.

"We can't leave her here." Elena insisted.

"We can." Stefan said to Elena "Look, you need to go ahead. I'll undagger her and I'll be right behind you." he said as Elena hesitated for a moment. "Go." Stefan insisted as Elena ran off down the passageway into the chamber which housed the sarcophagus of Silas.

Elena took in her surroundings, she saw a man she didn't recognize lying dead on the ground at the base of the tomb. Looking round she spotted a rope on the floor, tied to the dead man's wrists, and a knife covered in blood. Suddenly she spotted Damon, who looked to be waking up from what was presumably a snapped neck. She flew over to Damon and wrapped her arms around him, however he initially flinched at her touch.

"You okay?" Elena asked, worried by Damon's response to her.

"Elena?" Damon asked, as Elena nodded confused, when they heard a noise behind them, prompting them to both turn around in the direction of the noise as Stefan entered the chamber.

"I took the dagger out of Rebekah." Stefan told them, brandishing the dagger whilst taking in the carnage around them. "What happened?" he asked, frowning.

"Katherine happened." Damon replied as he looked around the room. "Where's Bonnie?" he asked as Stefan and Elena looked at each other and then to Damon.

"We only found you, this dead guy and a daggered Rebekah outside." Stefan told him.

"Professor Shane?" Damon asked, confused, as Stefan and Elena shook their heads. "That's concerning." he said slowly, frowning at the same time.

"Why? What happened?" Stefan asked as Damon stood up.

"Professor Shane fell down the well and ended up with a broken leg. He couldn't have gone anywhere without help or vampire blood." Damon told them.

"Maybe Katherine fed him her blood." Elena suggested.

"But why?" Stefan asked.

"They could have been in on it together." Elena said, turning to Stefan, before looking back to Damon before wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Admittedly, that does sound very Katherine." Damon agreed, as he put his arms around Elena and kissed her affectionately on the head.

"So what now?" Stefan asked, feeling awkward.

"We go find Bonnie." Elena told them as Damon and Stefan nodded in agreement,

"We need to take Rebekah with us." Stefan reminded them as they began to leave, however Damon stopped to look at the sarcophagus.

"Looks like Silas is staying asleep for the rest of eternity." he said smiling, tapping his hand on the shoulder of the statue, before they left the chamber to go get Rebekah and find Bonnie.

All the while, in a small unnoticed side chamber, Bonnie and Professor Shane both lay unconscious, whilst Bonnie's friends left to go and search the island for her.

  
  


 

 


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning, smutty chapter ahead.**

Bonnie woke up, unsure of where she was. The last thing she remembered was being in the cave, being stabbed by Vaughn, then seeing Katherine before everything went black. She opened her eyes and saw that she lying on the ground in a small campsite that she didn't recognize. She reached around to touch the wound on her back to see if it had healed.

"Don't touch it. Professor Shane warned Bonnie, startling her, as he knelt down beside her. "I used some of the island's herbs and berries to help treat the wound, but not being an actual witch, I can't guarantee much." he admitted with a small smile as Bonnie looked down at Shane's leg, which was still covered in blood.

"How are you healed?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"It was Silas. He helped me." Professor Shane told her. "You did it, Bonnie. He's risen." he said as he reached out to touch her.

"Get away from me." Bonnie cried, cringing away from him.

"I know you're angry with me, okay?" Professor Shane said, backing away. "But now you'll see everything I did, all those lives lost, they weren't in vain. Silas is gonna bring them back." he smiled.

"What you want to do isn't natural, Shane. You can't bring back the dead." Bonnie insisted.

"I think you'll change your mind." Professor Shane shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked.

"When Silas awoke, he sent a message, from your Grams." Professor Shane told her.

"What did she say?" Bonnie asked suspiciously.

"Why don't you go over there?" Professor Shane pointed towards a clearing. "She can tell you herself." he said smiling, as Bonnie got up and walked over to the clearing to see her Sheila Bennett stood in front of her.

"Grams?" Bonnie asked, frowning suspiciously.

"Bonnie." Grams smiled. "Come here baby." she opened her arms and Bonnie ran into them sobbing. "It's fine baby. It's fine." Grams said reassuringly as she'd always done, stroking Bonnie's hair. "But we don't have much time." she added. "We need to get you off this island."

"Why?" Bonnie asked. "I thought the witches were punishing you for me using black magic." she said.

"This was because Expression and black magic can kill the witch without proper training." Sheila said. "The witches didn't want you to die young Bonnie." she smiled sadly. "But you proved me wrong. You can handle Expression although I still don't want you around black magic but Expression is fine if you know how to use it." her shoulders dropped. "I couldn't be there to help you and you didn't have anyone, so I wanted to keep you away from it." she said, shaking her head sadly.

"So are you okay now?" Bonnie asked hopefully.

"The witches need me to help you keep control of your magic." Sheila warned. "I can't do that from the other side, and although Professor Shane has helped you so much, he can't always be there for you baby." she told her. "So I need you to help Silas bring me back." she smiled.

"How?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Professor Shane will tell you everything." Sheila told her. "But for now you need to go back with him and do everything he says so he can prepare to bring me back." she smiled. "Will you do that for me?" she asked as Bonnie nodded back smiling. "We'll be back together soon, don't you worry child. It'll be fine." Sheila added, giving Bonnie one last hug before Bonnie ran back to where Professor Shane was brewing some herbal tea.

"Would you like some?" Professor Shane asked as he held a cup out to Bonnie who just nodded in reply and sat down.

As Damon, Elena and Stefan walked through the passage they heard a groaning noise warning coming from the bottom of the well. Turning the corner, they found Rebekah getting up, her jacket had a hole in it, surrounded by what looked like blood, in the place of where her heart was. The moment she saw Elena her stance changed, as she looked ready to attack.

"Hey." Stefan said, trying to intervene before Rebekah created a situation. "It's Elena, not Katherine." he said.

"How can you be sure?" Rebekah barked, as Damon to grabbed hold of Elena and kissed her.

"Definitely not Katherine." he grinned, earning him a glare from both Stefan and Elena. "Look, Katherine can imitate a lot of things about Elena, but she'll never be able to...never mind." he shrugged, before turning to Elena. "...And it was a good excuse to kiss you." he winked as Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"Get a room!" Rebekah said, brushing the dust from her jacket. "Who has the dagger?" she asked.

"I do." Stefan told her, holding up the dagger. "But it looks like Katherine has the cure."

"What would Katherine want with the cure?" Rebekah asked frowning.

"Oh I dunno, maybe she wants to shove it down your brother's throat before she kills him?" Damon suggested, as Rebekah looked on in horror.

"Then we have to get out of here and find her and get it from her." Rebekah told them, before jumping out of the well as Elena, Stefan and Damon followed suit. As they left the cave, Rebekah left the others for a moment and quickly headed over to a boulder and began to search for something, much to the confusion of Damon, Elena and Stefan.

"It's not here." Rebekah said confused as she was joined by the others.

"What's not?" Elena asked.

"That bitch!" Rebekah snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"The tombstone!" Rebekah told them. "I hid the tombstone right here." she pointed to a crevice under the boulder. "She must have been watching me all the time." she growled.

"She took the dagger and ash." Stefan offered. "She must have been watching all of us to know that Elena gave it to Rebekah. Who knows what else she found, or knows about us." he sighed.

"We need to get going." Elena reminded them. "We need to search for Bonnie." she added, as they set off walking.

"And where do you propose we start to look on this Godforsaken island?" Rebekah folded her arms.

"I suggest we head on back to the campsite." Stefan offered. "It's the first place I'd go." he said as Damon and Elena nodded in agreement, before they set off back to the campsite.

Professor Shane and Bonnie had left the site which Professor Shane had used to heal Bonnie's wounds and set off walking through the woods back to their own campsite.

"We got to get you home if you're gonna help Silas raise the dead." Professor Shane told her.

"I don't understand what I can do." Bonnie shrugged.

"Well, Silas can't do magic. He was a witch, but after he became immortal, that ended." Professor Shane explained. "He can be a witch or a vampire, but never both. That's why I've been teaching you Expression, so you can do his work for him." he told her.

"What? How?" Bonnie asked.

Professor Shane stopped walking and turned to face her. "Using the power of three massacres." he explained. "Each massacre of twelve marks the earth with power, and you can use Expression to tap into that power."

"Three?" Bonnie asked as Professor Shane nodded. "You've had thirty six people killed?"

"I've had twenty four people killed." Professor Shane told her. "Twelve humans at the Young farm, twelve hybrids. You and I are gonna complete the triangle." he smiled.

"We're what?" Bonnie cried, her eyes widening in shock.

"Look, there needs to be another massacre, but it's okay. They're gonna come back. It's worth it." Professor Shane smiled.

"I'm not helping you kill twelve people, Shane." Bonnie said angrily as Professor Shane grabbed her arm.

"Won't you, if it meant you could see your grams again, everybody you or your friends have ever lost? I think you would." Professor Shane said confidently. "What did your Grams tell you?" he asked.

"She told me Silas had told you what needed to be done to help bring her back." Bonnie admitted.

"And was your grams okay with it?" Professor Shane asked curiously.

"Yes." Bonnie replied, frowning in confusion. "But I don't understand why. Grams would never want to kill twelve people." she said.

"That's because they'll be coming back with her." Professor Shane smiled. "It's only temporary. Once you've fueled the power from the Expression, then you can bring them all back as if they never died in the first place." he told her as Bonnie looked up as him in resignation.

"Okay, fine, I'll do whatever it takes." Bonnie sighed as Professor Shane raised his eyebrows looking unconvinced by her. "Look, I promise, I'll do whatever it takes. Whatever you ask of me, I'll do it." she insisted as Professor Shane smiled at her.

"Then you will see your grams again." Professor Shane told her. "There's just a few things we have to do first."

"What's that?" Bonnie asked.

"Come on." Professor Shane started to walk again. "I'll explain along the way." he said as he walked off into the clearing as Bonnie followed him.

Damon, Elena, Stefan and Rebekah had set off back to the campsite from the cave a couple of hours earlier and had spent most of the time walking through the woods in silence.

"Maybe Katherine took Bonnie." Rebekah suddenly suggested.

"She wouldn't." Damon replied, turning to Rebekah. "Bonnie's too powerful, she could destroy Katherine if she wanted to." he said.

"And she'd probably want to." Elena added.

"Then where did she go?" Rebekah asked. "If Bonnie wasn't in the cave then someone rescued her and the Professor."

"Maybe Bonnie's powers saved her and Professor Shane." Elena suggested as she received supportive looks from both Damon and Stefan.

"We need to get a move on." Stefan urged. "We need to find Bonnie. We need a witch." he sighed.

"And why would we be needing the witch?" Rebekah asked. "Shouldn't we be out looking for Katherine and the cure."

"The thing is Rebekah, Katherine spent five hundred years on the run from your brother and didn't get caught." Damon said stopping in front of Rebekah and facing her. "What makes you think we'll have any better luck finding her without the help of a very powerful witch?" he asked, as Rebekah just stood and glared at him for a moment.

"What's there to make you believe that the person who is looking after Bonnie is not in on it with Katherine?" Rebekah asked. "Ask questions and you might get the wrong answers." she barked back.

"Rebekah has a point." Stefan said, looking at Damon and Elena. "What if Professor Shane is working with Katherine?" he asked. "If she took the cure, nobody is going to give it to Silas, and he's going to make sure that Bonnie feeds us with false information." he shrugged, as Damon and Elena looked at each other.

"Fine." Damon said turning to Rebekah. "We'll look for Bonnie, you go back to Mystic Falls." he added. "Although you might want to get your brother on the way." he smiled.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah asked.

"Umm..well...yeah..." Damon started. "It's like this, Kol's dead" he said bluntly.

"What? No. How can he be dead?" Rebekah asked confused.

"We found his body when we were out looking for Connor." Damon told her.

"How?" Rebekah asked in shock. "He's in your basement in Mystic Falls with a dagger in his chest." she said looking at Damon, tears welling up in her eyes. "And how did he get out?" Rebekah demanded.

"I dunno." Damon said, lying so convincingly, even Elena who knew the truth almost believed him. "Maybe he wasn't working alone." he suggested. "Nobody is looking after the house. And considering Katherine has been following us, anything is possible right now." he added, not daring to look at Elena as he knew they'd both look guilty as hell if he did.

"Where is he?" Rebekah asked, beginning to break down, as Stefan walked over to her to comfort her.

"If we go back to camp, I'll point you in the right direction." Damon said softly.

"I don't want to go back to your stupid camp and look for your stupid witch!" Rebekah cried. "I want to find my brother." she added as she buried her head into Stefan's chest, whilst he wrapped her arms around her sobbing frame.

"Look, we didn't come this route." Damon explained. "So I can't direct you from here, but go back to the camp with us and I can direct you from there." he added as Rebekah nodded in acceptance.

"How?" Rebekah asked quietly. "How can I be sure that this isn't some trick?"

"Vaughn killed him." Damon replied to the confused faces around him. "The hunter who was killed getting the cure." he explained. "He used the white oak stake on him."

"And where is the white oak stake now?" Stefan asked.

"It's here." Damon told them as he went to get the stake out of his bag only to find it was missing. "Fuck!" he swore. "That bitch!"

"Katherine took it?" Elena asked rolling her eyes as Damon nodded in reply.

"Just like we don't need any more problems." he grimaced. "Let's go back to camp and try and not to find any more problems." he added as they started walking back to the camp site once more.

Whilst still hiking through the woods, Professor Shane was telling Bonnie about the story of Silas and Qetsiyah.

"When Silas was buried by the witch Qetsiyah, she left him with the cure and two choices. Professor Shane told her. "Stay immortal and rot or take the cure and eventually die in there of old age." he said.

"He's been trapped in there for two thousand years." Bonnie frowned. "At some point wouldn't death by old age have been...better?" she asked as Professor Shane laughed.

"No because, you see, Qetsiyah had already one-upped him." he said. "She knew that he wanted to die so that he could find peace, be reunited with his one true love. So she created the Other Side as a purgatory for all supernatural beings, ensuring that if he died, he'd end up there forever. That's where you come in." Professor Shane explained.

"Why me?" Bonnie asked.

"Because you, as Qetsiyah's descendant, can make the Other Side go away." Professor Shane smiled.

"How?" Bonnie frowned.

"You need to drop the veil to the Other Side." Professor Shane explained.

"I can't do that." Bonnie said shocked. "Once the veil is dropped, the Other Side doesn't exist anymore. There's nothing separating us. We're all just one."

"Yes, you can." Professor Shane insisted. "All the witches, your ancestors who've been persecuted throughout time, your grams, they'll all be back. You can do this." he smiled excitedly. "They'll make you and everyone are safe. You will do this." he added.

"Okay." Bonnie sighed. "But my friends won't be happy." she said.

"Don't tell them Silas is awake." Professor Shane suggested.

"And how am I supposed to explain how we got out of the cave?" Bonnie asked.

"I was working with Katherine Pierce." Professor Shane told her. "Did you know she came from a family of witches?" he asked as Bonnie shook her head. "She came to me through the werewolf Hayley, wanting to know if I could help raise her dead family." he told her.

"So that's why she was on the island?" Bonnie asked as Professor Shane nodded.

"Katherine took the cure to protect it." he told her. "She's been on the run successfully for over five hundred years. Can you think of anyone else more qualified to hide the cure?" he asked as Bonnie shook her head. "Her job was to make sure the hunter didn't kill Silas." Professor Shane explained. "If she hadn't have been there, the hunter would have killed your friend Damon and have fed Silas the cure and killed him, meaning you'd never get your grams back." he said.

"But it's Katherine Pierce." Bonnie frowned.

"I know." Professor Shane sighed. "But sometimes you have to do a deal with the devil for the greater good." he said. "I'm sure you know what I mean." he said looking at Bonnie, who's eyes suddenly dropped to the floor as she remembered the part she played in putting Klaus's soul into Tyler's body.

"Yeah, I get it." Bonnie sighed. "But I've just got one more question." she said.

"Anything." Professor Shane smiled. "Ask me anything."

"You said if I dropped the veil to the Other Side, that the dead will return, but that's only for the supernatural. What about the twelve people that died on the Young farm?" Bonnie asked.

"They were a necessary sacrifice, for the greater good." Professor Shane said sadly. "They've passed on. They've found peace." he assured her. "That's all anyone wants. That's all Silas wants. We'll do this together, you and I. We are the beginning." he smiled as they entered the clearing to the campsite.

"So what do we do now?" Bonnie asked.

"We wait for your friends to take you home." Professor Shane said.

"How do you know this is where they'll come looking?" Bonnie asked.

"Because I've got ears." he said smiling as suddenly Damon, Elena, Stefan and Rebekah emerged from trees.

"Bonnie!" Elena exclaimed as the two girls ran towards each other and hugged one another.

"Elena." Bonnie cried.

"How did you get out?" Damon eyed Professor Shane suspiciously.

"Katherine Pierce fed me her blood before getting us out of the cave." Professor Shane explained. "Bonnie can fill you in. I'm going to get back to the beach to get the boats ready to go home." he said. "Anyone else coming?" he asked as everyone turned to look at him.

"Leave one boat for me." Rebekah said. "I'm going to look for my brother." she said sadly as Professor Shane nodded with a knowing look.

"There's a path leading the way." Professor Shane told her as the path which had originally disappeared behind Bonnie, Damon and Professor Shane was now showing through the woods.

"But the path disappeared." Bonnie frowned.

"The magic only holds whilst the witch who cast it still lived." Professor Shane told them. "I'm guessing he must be dead." he said sadly.

"I killed a man with the tombstone." Rebekah said. "Was that him?" she asked as Professor Shane nodded in response. "The tombstone is gone." she added. "We think Katherine took it."

"No matter." Professor Shane said. "We'll get it back when the time is right." he smiled. "Right lets get going." he added as he set off once again towards the beach as the others looked to each other and all began to follow, except Rebekah who followed the path of scorched earth that led to Kol.

Once they reached the beach Damon took his phone out to check if he had a signal.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"I'm calling Liz." he said. "I won't be a minute." he added as Elena headed over to the rest of the group to help them untie the ropes for the boats.

"Hey Liz." Damon said cheerfully. "Hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Of course not Damon." Liz replied. "How can I help?" she asked.

"I need to look up the phone records of the female werewolf Tyler Lockwood was hanging around with." Damon explained. "We think she may have been working with Katherine, who's taken the cure and disappeared. Her name is Hayley Marshall." he told her. "Can you also get the records of Professor Atticus Shane?" he asked.

"That's fine no problem." Liz replied. "I can get those for you. When do you want them for?" she asked.

"We should be back in the next few hours." Damon said.

"I'll get right on it." Liz advised him.

"Thanks Liz." Damon smiled. "Bye." he added.

"Goodbye Damon." Liz replied as they hung up and Damon walked back to join the group in getting the boats ready to leave.

Stefan, Damon and Elena finally walked into the boarding house after dropping Bonnie off from the airport exhausted. It was late and Jeremy was still staying at Matt's meaning Elena didn't want to go home and be on her own. Once they entered the parlor, Damon took his and Elena's luggage and carried it up to his bedroom whilst she sat on the couch and Stefan poured them all a drink. Handing his glass over to Elena, he sat on the couch opposite and took out his phone to check his texts.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asked as she saw Stefan reading one text frowning, before lifting his head up to look at her.

"I guess we find Katherine." he sighed.

"We need to keep Bonnie out of this." Elena frowned. "I don't trust Professor Shane." she said.

"I'm sure Damon is cooking up a plan as we speak." Stefan grinned. "Speaking of which..."

"I'm here." Damon called out as he entered the parlor and picked up the drink Stefan had poured for him and putting it on the coffee table, before he went over to light the fire. "Seriously Stefan?" he complained. "Fire, then texts." he huffed as he began to stoke the fire into life.

"So, what have you got up your sleeve Damon?" Stefan asked, as he began texting a message.

"I'm waiting for Liz to get back to me with both Professor Shane and Hayley's phone records." Damon told him, as he got up, picked up his drink and sat next to Elena, before putting his arm over her shoulder.

"You sure she's involved?" Elena asked looking at Damon intently.

"Well Tyler knew jack shit about the real reason for the hybrids being unsired. Which means Hayley was the one orchestrating it, meaning she must have been involved somehow." Damon explained. "So she's a good person to check, plus Katherine seems to like using wolves to do her dirty work." he said as his phone rang, flashing up Liz as the caller ID. "Speaking of which." he grinned as he answered the phone. "Liz, how's my favorite Sheriff?" he asked, putting her on speakerphone.

"I managed to dig up those phone records you asked for." Liz replied. "You want this over the phone?" she asked.

"You can give me an idea of what to expect." Damon replied.

"There's been a lot of communication with numbers in the New Orleans area." Liz told him

"Interesting." Damon said looking thoughtful. "Go on."

"You were right about her and Professor Shane." Liz said. "There were a lot of calls made between them." she went on. "Also, it looks like she's recently been in contact with Klaus Mikaelson." she added as Damon looked at Stefan and Elena with a worried expression on his face.

"Did she call him first or did he call her?" Damon asked.

"She did." Liz told them, as they all looked at each other.

"Have you got the phone records with you now?" Stefan suddenly asked as Damon looked up in surprise.

"Yeah." Liz said hesitantly.

"That's great." Stefan grinned. "I'm coming over to see Caroline after this. I'll pick them up." he offered.

"Is that okay with you Damon?" Liz asked.

"Yeah that's fine." Damon replied, looking a little confused.

"Right, well I've gotta go." Liz said. "Goodnight Damon." she added.

"Goodnight Liz." Damon replied before ending the call and nodding at Stefan. "What's up with Blondie?" he asked.

"Tyler problems." Stefan explained as he emptied his glass before standing up.

"Maybe I should go..." Elena offered as Stefan shook his head.

"She asked if I could come round as soon as I got back." Stefan explained to a slightly hurt looking Elena as she realized that Caroline was now turning to Stefan with her problems before speaking to Elena. "...And I'm guessing you guys might want a little bit of time alone." he suggested, raising an eyebrow at Damon and Elena.

"I'm not saying no to that offer brother." Damon grinned at Stefan before turning to look at Elena, who just rolled her eyes, as Stefan turned to leave the room.

"Give Caroline my love." Elena called out as Stefan walked out of the door and closed it behind him, leaving just Elena and Damon alone in the parlor together.

"You wait here." Damon grinned. "I have a surprise for you." he added as he vamp-sped upstairs, leaving Elena alone for a few minutes to scroll through her own texts whilst she waited. "Done!" Damon called out as Elena looked up at him curiously as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"What are you doing Damon?" Elena asked suspiciously?

"Do you trust me?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Usually." Elena replied. "What have you got behind your back?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as Damon revealed one hand containing a black satin blindfold, prompting Elena to raise an eyebrow. "What's that for?" she asked.

"It's for me." Damon grinned. "Just in case you want to watch some terrible chick flick." he brinned as Elena put her glass down and folded her arms. "Fine." he sighed. "It's a surprise, nothing too kinky." he added.

"What's in the other hand?" Elena asked suspiciously, prompting Damon to pout before sighing and revealing the two champagne glasses he was holding with a sly grin. "Okay, fine, I believe you." Elena said, jumping up realizing that this was either going to be fun or romantic, and after the last few days on the island, she wanted either or both. "Go ahead, put it on." she added as she went over to Damon to allow him to place the blindfold on. "Lead the way." she added as he guided her up the steps and in the direction of where she knew Damon's bedroom to be. As she walked into what she believed to be Damon's bedroom, the first thing that hit her senses were the smells all around her. She could smell candle wax, vanilla and roses.

"You stay here." Damon whispered into here ear, before letting go of her as the sound of running water hit her ears, causing her to smile. The source of the running water was from the bath, that much she could tell.

Elena suddenly felt Damon's push her hair to one side, exposing her beck before he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, from behind, pulling her back in tight to his chest.

"I can take the blindfold off if you want." he offered. "But it might be more fun to start with it one." he whispered seductively in Elena's ear, as he began to nibble her earlobe. "When you take away one of the senses, it heightens the rest." he explained. "It's even more acute in vampires as we rely on our senses for prey." Damon's voice was low and seductive as he gently laced his fingers through hers. "Smell, taste, sound, touch. All more intense than before. And pleasure..." he added as he began to slowly place tiny kisses upon her neck. "Well, you'll have to let me know bout that if you want to keep it on."

"Keep it on." Elena whispered back, already beginning to understand what Damon meant as the kisses on her neck were causing the heat to pool in her stomach already and he had barely touched her.

"Tell me what you smell." Damon said as he removed his hands to slowly pull down the strap of Elena's top over her shoulder and lightly place his lips over her skin before he pushed her arms in the air and removed the offending item.

"I smell roses...candle wax and vanilla." Elena muttered, trying her hardest not to lose concentration on what Damon had asked of her whilst he continued to distract her with his delicate kisses.

"That's because the room is only lit by candles." he explained, his voice deep and husky. "The vanilla is from the bathtub. And the roses...well I'll help you find out where they are." he said as he bent down and helped Elena out of her socks and shoes. "Now take two steps forward." he instructed her, with which she complied as she suddenly notice what felt like little pieces of silk under her feet.

"Rose petals and the floor?" Elena asked in surprise.

"Of course." Damon whispered as he removed his own sweater before pulling Elena's back to to his chest so she could feel his naked flesh against hers, causing her breath to spike. "Red ones." he told her, as Elena began to form an image in her mind of Damon's candlelit bedroom, filled with red rose petals on the floor. "Walk forward, follow the feel of the petals." he urged her as he gave her a nudge whilst he traced his fingertips up the of her body and he continued planting kisses on her neck and shoulder, with the occasional scrape of his blunt teeth against her jugular, sending shivers down her spine.

Elena did as Damon instructed, as he guided her forward, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, making sure there were silken petals between her toes. The scent of vanilla was getting stronger, suggesting they were heading towards the bathroom, when all of a sudden three other smells hit her senses. The first on was easy, chocolate, this made her mouth water, because vampire or not, she still loved chocolate. A fresh clean smell that she recognized to be strawberries and a third which was a smell she knew slightly but wasn't completely familiar with.

"Chocolate and strawberry." Elena described to Damon. "But what's the other smell?" she asked as she pushed back into Damon, feeling his erection against her back through his jeans.

"What else did I have in my hands besides the blindfold?" Damon asked as he unbuttoned her jeans and lowered her zipper.

"Champagne glasses." Elena whispered as Damon's hand slid under her panties and gently began to circle her clit causing her to moan. "The smell is champagne." she managed to say as she felt Damon smile against her skin.

"Do you want some?" he asked his voice velvety and seductive as Elena nodded, his talented fingers making words harder to form as she suddenly felt something touch her lips. Realizing it was a glass she opened her mouth as Damon must have tipped the glass a little as the liquid slid into her mouth and down her throat as she swallowed.

"That was good." Elena managed to say as she heard Damon put the glass down before she felt her bra being unfastened.

Damon removed the bra swiftly and with the other hand he began to gently massage one of Elena's breasts, occasionally pinching the nipple causing the heat to rise even more between her legs. Reaching behind her, Elena began to stroke the outside of Damon's jeans where his bulging erection was tightly packed, desperate to freed from it's confines. Feeling sorry for him, Elena managed to unfasten his jeans and she slid her hand in Damon's boxer briefs and began to lovingly stroke his cock, earning her a moan from him.

"You have a choice." Damon whispered. "The blindfold and the bed or no blindfold and the tub." he offered.

"The blindfold and the bed." Elena answered without hesitating.

"Good." she heard Damon say. "I was hoping you'd say that." he added as suddenly the floor fell away from her feet as Damon had scooped her into his arms and gently placed her down on the bed, which she also found to be full of rose petals.

"Wow, this is so romantic." Elena gasped at the beautiful scent.

"Don't tell anyone." Damon insisted, hovering above her. "I have a reputation to uphold." he added as they both laughed until Damon kissed her and began running his fingers up and down the sides of her body.

The kiss was full of love and passion and being blindfolded was only intensifying everything he did. Elena ran her fingers up and down Damon's hard chest, her fingernails scraping through the few chest hairs that had started to grow when he was human. Her hands made their way up to his neck and into his soft raven hair as she began to circle her hips to grind her pussy against his erection. Suddenly, much to Elena's dismay he got up and disappeared.

"Damon?" she called out as she suddenly heard his footsteps come closer before hearing what sounded like a glass and a bottle being placed on the dresser next to her, causing her to grin as she realized he had brought the champagne over. She also noticed the smell of strawberries being slightly stronger, suspecting that he'd got some of those on the dresser too.

Elena felt the bed dip as Damon climbed back on the bed, but this time she noticed his jeans were missing. Ensuring he was not alone in his nakedness, he tugged at Elena's jeans as she lifted her hips to help him pull them off, before he quickly removed her panties at the same time.

"God you're beautiful." he murmured as he crawled back up and reached over to pick up what Elena assumed was the glass and waited wondering what he was going to do. "We'll drink this champagne together." he said. "No dribbling as I put it in your mouth." he instructed as Elena simply nodded, opening her mouth, expecting to feel a glass against her lips any moment. Instead she felt Damon's lips upon hers as the champagne dribbled from his mouth into hers. Once it stopped they both swallowed and began kissing, their mouths both tasting of champagne. Elena then felt Damon reach over for something else. "Do you like strawberries?" he asked.

"Of course." Elena said smiling as she heard Damon dip the strawberry in the champagne. This was something she knew her human hearing would never have picked up on, and possibly she might not have noticed it herself, even with her vampire hearing, but the blindfold was heightening her senses to an impossible level and she'd heard the swish of the champagne as he dipped the fruit into it before she felt a drip of champagne over her lips.

"Open your mouth." Damon instructed as he placed the strawberry inside her mouth, as she bit it, she felt the exquisite juices hitting her heightened taste buds, she could even taste the hint of champagne. Suddenly she felt something cold dribbling on her nipple. Realizing it was juice from the strawberry she giggled but her giggles quickly turned to moans of pleasure as Damon began to suck the juice for it. "Mmm...tasty." he whispered as he repeated the process with the other nipple, before he popped the rest of the strawberry in her mouth.

As Elena swallowed the strawberry, she suddenly felt something cold and wet in her belly button causing her to giggle.

"What are you doing?" she asked as her question was soon answered as she felt Damon's tongue lapping what she assumed to be champagne from her navel which cause her to moan as heat began pooling in her stomach once again as she knew his mouth was closer to her pussy.

"Do you trust me?" Damon whispered huskily as Elena nodded. She knew he'd never do anything to hurt her and was only ever going to try and pleasure her as much as he could, so she knew she didn't have to worry, but she was curious as to why he'd asked her. "Good." he said. "This might seem strange at first, but with your heightened senses you'll like it." he promised her as he moved over to get something else.

Suddenly Elena nearly bolted through the roof when she felt an ice cold sensation across her nipple. It didn't hurt but it was a shock. Even more so as Damon kept rubbing it around the nipple as it was becoming extremely hard and numb with the cold.

"Damon..." Elena started but stopped as she felt his lips replace the ice around her nipple, the warmth of his mouth and tongue feeling delicious against as her nipple became warm again. Elena realized Damon was still heightening her senses. She was less surprised when he did it to the other nipple, and she realized she surprisingly liked it.

Once more Damon reached over and she could tell he was getting another piece of ice from what must be an ice bucket next to the bed. This time he trailed the ice between her breasts and down her stomach, circling her belly button as he climbed down the bed. Elena suddenly realized she knew what Damon was going to do, and became a little hesitant.

Noticing her weariness Damon stopped. "I won't if you don't want to." he whispered. However Elena decided that she wanted to try it and if she didn't like it she could always ask him to stop.

"Go on." she whispered as she felt the coolness of the ice trailing down her slit, followed by Damon's tongue. When she realized that he wasn't going to be as extreme as he had been with her nipples, she relaxed, deciding she quite liked the odd sensation of hot and cold as Damon circled her entrance with the ice before following the pattern with his tongue.

Damon opened her folds and trailed the ice up her labia and around her clit as his tongue followed and then his mouth suckled her nub, sending shock waves through her body. Just as he'd started with the ice, he spread her legs and she never felt it again as his tongue dived into her entrance whilst his, finger cold and wet from holding the ice, began to massage her nub. The gradual and sensual build up was almost too much for Elena. She felt the veins around her eyes tickling and her fangs elongate, but she knew now was not the time for blood sharing, so instead she took deep breaths and the veins disappeared. Damon's tongue began working it's magic as he tongue fucked her and she soon felt the heat of an orgasm building.

"Oh my god Damon." she panted. "Don't stop." she cried as she grabbed his hair as gently as she could. However Damon did stop and slowly inserted two fingers inside of her and slowly started pumping, whilst his mouth attacked her clit with an occasional swipe of his tongue over her labia.

Elena realized the impact of the heightened senses as she felt the orgasm continue to build inside her. Her inside walls felt hotter and more powerful than usual, and not being able to see what he was doing meant every suck and lick was a surprise, unpredictable which made it even more erotic. Then without warning her orgasm began ripping through her body.

"Ah fuck...Damon..." she screamed as her back arched and her body went rigid as the white hot spasms ran right through her pussy and nub, as Damon just kept giving. Elena was sure this was the longest orgasm she'd ever experienced in her life as her head was spinning from it's ferocity. However Damon soon slowed down his ministrations and crawled back up her body and kissed her chastely on the lips.

"Miss me?" he asked, as she heard the mirth in his voice.

"I want you inside of me...NOW!" she demanded, breathlessly.

"Yes ma-am!" he replied in his most southern drawl before she felt him enter her gently, opening her up as she welcomed his cock inside her, causing her to moan with pleasure.

"I want to see your face." Elena begged, as Damon complied and removed the blindfold, causing Elena to blink a little to adjust her eyes to the dimly lit bedroom casting a glow over Damon's beautiful face.

Damon lowered himself down and kissed her as he began moving his hips, thrusting slowly at first as they worked together before he pulled on of her legs over his shoulder for deeper penetration. They began to up the pace as they both began to get closer to their climax. Elena hooked her other leg over Damon's shoulder's as he lifted her hips off the bed and increased the pace even more. Their breathing became frantic as their moans grew louder.

"Fuck Elena..." Damon panted.

"Don't stop." Elena replied as he continued whilst Elena felt the heat of another impending orgasm quickly building up inside her.

"I'm gonna come soon." Damon moaned as he licked his finger and began massaging Elena's clit, knowing this would tip her over the edge.

This time Elena's orgasm felt like it was coming from deeper inside her body. The heat in her pussy taking over her body as she went rigid before shaking as the pleasure raged through her pussy.

"Damon..." she tried to scream, but her voice only came out as a whisper as her spasms began to milk his cock, causing him to scrunch up his face in the way Elena loved.

"Fuck!" he cried as she felt him spill his hot seed inside her as he slowed down his actions, before Elena unhooked her legs from his shoulders, allowing him to collapse on top of her.

"Wow." she managed to say after they'd waited for a moment to catch their breaths. Damon turned his head and kissed her before pulling out of her and rolling onto his back. "That was..." Elena started.

"...Intense?" Damon finished as Elena smiled at him nodding.

"I love you." Elena whispered, kissing him again.

"I love you too." Damon smiled, pressing his forehead against hers.

"What about the rest of the strawberries and champagne?" Elena asked.

"There's a bath tub with our names written all over it, just waiting for us to get in and finish those off." he told her. "There's even an added bonus of chocolate." he grinned, sitting up. "You ready?" he asked, holding out his hand to her.

"I thought you were never going to ask." Elena smiled as she placed her hand in his and he led her over to the tub.

 

 


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon took Elena's hand and led her over to the huge bath tub in his bathroom as Elena began to take in her surroundings. The bedroom and bathroom both looked amazing. He'd set a path of rose petals from his bedroom door until it forked and on path led to the bed and one path led to the bath tub, which was surrounded by a stand which had previously contained the ice bucket and champagne. Damon let go of Elena's hand as they got to the bath.

"You wait there." he grinned as he vamp-sped over to the bedside dresser and grabbed the ice bucket which now contained the bottle of champagne. He placed the two glasses inside and picked up the bowl of strawberries and vamp-sped back to bathroom and placed the bucket in the stand and the strawberries on a little shelf next to the bath, where Elena suddenly noticed a bowl containing pieces of chocolate.

Looking in the bath itself, there were rose petals floating around and the delicious aroma of vanilla wafting in the air. Damon put his hand into the half empty bath check the water was still hot, and turned the faucet on just for whilst placing some bubble bath under the faucet and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"What?" Elena asked, eyeing Damon suspiciously.

"You are amazing, and beautiful and I'm the luckiest guy in the world." he said turning off the faucet, standing up and wrapping his arms around Elena's waist, pulling her close to him before placing a chaste kiss on her lips.

"What's this all for?" Elena asked, waving her hands at the bubble bath and champagne.

"I never need an excuse for a bath with champagne, at any time of the day." he told her as he stepped in the bath and holding out his hand for Elena to join him. "Plus, I've had a really crappy weekend." he smiled as Elena took Damon's hand who stepped in the bath to join him, as he sat down and Elena sat between his legs, her back to his chest. Damon poured them both a glass of champagne and offered her some chocolate as they both took a piece.

"You like chocolate?" Elena asked lazily.

"I have a _very_ sweet tooth." Damon laughed as Elena turned her head to look at Damon who had his fangs elongated, prompting Elena to laugh with him.

"This is nice." Elena sighed. "Just you and me, nobody to interfere. Do you think there will ever be a time when it's just the two of us? You know, without there being some major catastrophe or someone hunting us?" she asked.

"For longer than a week?" Damon asked. "Nope. Can't see it." he joked. "But it means the time we get together alone is even more precious and important and we should always make the best of it and make it special." he added, kissing the side of her head.

"Is that why you went to all of this effort?" she asked. "To make it special?" Elena turned her head to look up at him.

"And because I love you." Damon whispered. "And to me that is something worth celebrating every day the we can, of our lives together. Even if it is for all eternity." he said, looking at Elena lovingly, prompting her to kiss him, before turning back and lacing her fingers through his.

"So what's our next move?" Elena asked. "Leave the cure with Katherine?"

"Personally, I'd like to take that cure and force it down Klaus's throat." Damon admitted. "Although admittedly, having it would give us a lot of leverage." he said.

"We could also see if Bonnie could find a way to replicate it." Elena suggested. "She's a descendant of Qetsiyah's family, which means there must be a way to recreate the magic Qetsiyah used to create the original cure. Maybe Bonnie can find a way to cure us both when the time comes for us to want a family." she said.

"Qetsiyah was one of the most powerful witches ever to roam the earth." Damon said. "And she was only able to make one dose. You really think Bonnie could make more?" he asked.

"I dunno." Elena shrugged.

"You really want this don't you?" Damon asked.

"I want you for the rest of my life." Elena assured him. "Eternal or human, I don't care." she lay her head back onto his shoulder before turning to look up to him. "Nothing else matters. Yes it would have been a nice option for us to have a real family in the future, I admit. But I only want one with you, so if we both can't take it, I don't want it." she smiled as Damon looked down at her and kissed her chastely.

"Okay." he said. "Let's see what we can find and what Bonnie can do." he added as he kissed Elena once more, however this time the kiss was filled with passion.

Elena turned her body around, water spilling over the top of the tub as she straddled Damon's thighs to deepen their kiss. She'd had enough of talking, she was getting turned on by the sight of him, his raven hair, now wet, was even inkier than usual, striking against his pale white skin, all making his icy blue eyes, which were full of love, just for her, stand out even more. Elena slid her hand under the water and wrapped her fingers around his dick which was already hard and began to gently pump his cock, earning her a moan of pleasure from him. The sound of his moans was enough to turn Elena on so she began kissing and licking his neck, whilst continuing her ministrations with her hand as he lay his head back on the rim of the bath, giving her greater access to his neck and exposing his jugular.

When Elena looked up at Damon, the predator inside her suddenly woke, and possibly for the first true time since she'd become a vampire, she understood why some vampires seduced their prey first. Had this man sharing the bath with her been a human and not Damon, then it would have been so easy to rip into his jugular and let the delicious blood flow into her mouth. This thought alone made Elena feel very powerful and extremely turned on, it also triggered the veins around her eyes to tickle as her fangs began to elongate.

"Do it." she heard Damon growl. "I know you want to." he said. Elena looked up at him and licked her lips in anticipation, her tongue catching on one of her fangs causing it to bleed, but instead of wincing with pain, she just relished at the taste of the blood.

Without a word of warning, Elena went straight for the artery and inserted her fangs into Damon's neck as his delicious blood began to flow into her mouth. At the same time she felt Damon's hand begin to gently massage her clit before he inserted a finger inside of her. This time there was no sharing thoughts or memories, this was Damon allowing Elena to be her true predatory self, even if they were confining it to their bedroom (or in this case bathroom) instead of Elena doing what was natural, which was feeding from and killing humans, for once Elena was acting like a vampire.

The combination of Damon's touch and his blood was sending Elena into a sexual frenzy, she needed relief, however Damon seemed to already know what she wanted as he pulled her hips over his cock, allowing her to gradually lower herself onto him. He bucked her upwards slightly so that she released her fangs from his neck as blood smeared all around her face. Damon thought she'd never looked more beautiful as he began to thrust upwards whilst she circled her hips and they began kissing in an urgent frenzy, both in a desperate need to satisfy the other.

Damon's lips made their way down Elena's jawline and to her neck. This time it was her who was to be the prey, as she looked down at Damon, who's eyes had changed, and his fangs elongated, making him look even more beautiful in Elena's eyes.

"This won't hurt. You won't scream." he said gently, pretending to compel her.

"It won't hurt, I won't scream." she repeated blankly, playing along.

"You can only scream when I make you come." he growled. "And I'm going to make you come fucking hard." he said.

"I can only scream when I come." Elena repeated, trying not to smirk as Damon began licking a trail up her jugular until she felt his teeth pierce through the skin. If she'd have been human she supposed it might have hurt, but instead as a vampire the slight pain was exquisite, but nothing compared to the feeling of Damon taking the blood from her veins, which were already swollen from his blood.

A tiny part of Elena wished she'd let Damon feed from her when she was human, she wasn't counting the time when Damon was mad from the werewolf bite. She wondered if it would have been this hot and sexual if she was still human and sat in the bath, him draining her blood whilst she was impaled on him. The heat began pooling in her stomach at the thought of Damon draining her and fucking her whilst she was still alive, before feeding her his blood to help her recover. She'd be lying if the thought had never crossed her mind before becoming a vampire, ever since Denver, she'd wanted to find out what it would be like.

Damon removed his mouth from Elena's neck and moved so quickly, that even as a vampire Elena was surprised by his speed, as she found they were suddenly back on the bed.

"Water was getting everywhere." Damon grinned as he kissed her, his face covered in her blood.

Damon moaned as entered her swiftly, prompting Elena to cry out in pleasure as he began thrusting inside her as heat was pooling in Elena's belly. Their kisses became frenzied as their tongues fought for dominance and Elena tugged on Damon's bottom lip with her teeth. They rolled over on the bed as Elena took charge, the rose petals were either stuck to their wet bodies or had fell off the bed from their previous love-making session. Their frenzied kisses continued as Damon cupped Elena's ass as whilst thrust upwards inside her and Elena rotated her hips in sync with his.

As much as Elena wanted to come, she didn't want it to stop, she was relishing him inside her, an emotional connection which was just as satisfying as the physical one, and she knew Damon experienced to too when they made love. It was a sensation that neither had found with any previous partners, it made the physical connection when they both came even more pleasurable. However, physical needs soon became to overcome Elena, as the heat pooling in her body began to tell her she needed to come and the feeling was becoming urgent. Damon, who was now so clued in on her physical needs, sat up, creating added friction of rubbing against her clit slightly, increasing the pressure but not quite enough.

"Yes, yes...oh my god yes..." Elena cried out. "More..more..." she panted, as Damon added a little stimulation by latching his lips onto her breast and swirling his tongue around her areola and biting down gently on her nipple. "Oh my god...Damon." she moaned.

"Oh yes...fuck...Elena..." Damon moaned into her breast as he increased the force and speed of his thrusts. "I want you to come for me, and scream." he demanded as he managed to slip his hand between them and let his talented fingers work their magic on her nub.

"Oh yes..oh yes...oh yes..." Elena panted. "Fuck...Damon." she screamed out as white hot spasms ripped through her pussy and her body went rigid, before beginning to shake as the power of one spasm after another took hold of her, so intense, she was convinced she was going to black out. She was brought to her senses when she realized Damon was also teetering on the edge, so she quickly turned her attention to him, enabling her to watch him come, something she hated to miss as she always thought he looked beautiful when he did, especially with the knowledge that the intense pleasure he was experiencing was all her doing.

"Fuck...Elena..." he cried out whilst his face scrunched up, as he spilled his hot seed inside her.

Elena brushed Damon's wet messy hair off his face as she looked down at him and kissed him,whilst their arms were wrapped tightly around each other, afraid to let the other one go. Elena's hair curtained them, giving them privacy in the moment of their tender kiss, as his cock began to soften inside of her.

They stopped to catch their breath as Damon noticed that Elena was covered in petals and began to grin.

"What?" Elena asked as Damon cast his eyes down on her legs and she noticed the rose petals stuck to her body and began to laugh.

"I think we need to shower and clean up." he grinned as Elena climbed off Damon and they both headed towards the shower.

Stefan was stood in Liz's office waiting for her to get him the phone records between Hayley, Klaus and Professor Shane. He'd just been to see a tearful Caroline who had told him all about what had happened with Tyler and Klaus whilst he'd been on the island looking for the cure. As much as his heart was torn in pieces over Damon and Elena, he knew he had to be there for Caroline just like she'd been there for him. He smiled at how they made such a great team supporting each other, she reminded him of Lexi in the way that he could be himself around her unlike anyone with else. However, their evening had come to an abrupt end, after much alcohol, lots of talking, crying and hugs, he'd finally left after she'd received a text from Matt asking her to meet him at the Lockwood mansion. Stefan for his part, had left to go get the files from Sheriff Forbes for Damon.

As he waited, Stefan hoped Damon and Elena would have finished their bedroom activities by the time he got back. As bitter as he was, he was happy that his brother had finally found someone who made him happy and was a positive influence on him. He was just pissed off that it had to be Elena of all people, which was why he couldn't stand being in the house whilst he knew they'd be having sex. Thankfully, Elena hadn't been one of those girls who was constantly wanting sex, unlike most of Damon's conquests, and although becoming a vampire heightened a person's sex drive, he hadn't noticed anything different, if anything she hadn't been as keen as she was when she was a human. Stefan suspected her lack of sex drive relative to Damon's insatiable appetite, and her preference for missionary, might not be enough to keep his brother content for long.

Stefan knew Damon could play the monogamy game well, he'd spent the first forty eight years after becoming a vampire celibate, keeping himself waiting for Katherine. That was until he met Sage, who practically turned him into the Playboy vampire who would have at least one different woman leaving his bedroom every night. The thought of Damon's possible lack of future fidelity was what gave Stefan a glimmer of hope. He knew that Elena's love for Damon was more powerful than anything she'd ever felt for him, but if Damon couldn't remain faithful to Elena then that would mean their relationship was doomed. Even if her love for Stefan was less, he still may have a chance with her if Damon broke her heart. This was what was keeping Stefan going right now. Leave them to their own thing until it all inevitably goes wrong. He knew he should move on from Elena, but something inside him was stopping him, like a magical force stopping him. All in all, Stefan just hoped to be back long after they'd finished, he'd already been gone a couple of hours, how much time did they need? Suddenly Stefan was dragged out of his thoughts as Liz walked back into her office with a file in her hands.

"Here you go." Liz said handing the file over to Stefan.

"Thank you Liz." Stefan smiled as he flipped through the folder . "Damon will be really grateful." he nodded to her.

"Well he's not going to be grateful about what I'm about to tell you." Liz said as Stefan frowned. "The entire supply of blood from the hospital, all the reserves, gone, just vanished." she told him.

Stefan closed the file and looked up at her. "I don't understand. Are you accusing us?" he asked.

Liz sighed. "No, I'm not accusing you, but this town is at a tipping point Stefan. Any more unexplained house fires, and things are gonna boil over." she said as she looked to Stefan who looked down at the file in his hands, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry, I know it's not your fault. It's been a rough week." she apologized as she moved around to the front of her desk. "Miranda Gilbert was one of my best friends in high school. To see what's happened to her family...With only Jeremy being the only one left alive now... it's just..." she stopped, not able to say any more.

"Look, Liz...if there's anything I can do to help, I promise I will." Stefan assured her as he placed the folder down inside his jacket pocket. "Look, I'll talk to Damon, see if knows of any other vampires in the area."

"Good. You need to." Liz said sternly. "Because whoever stole that blood put a lot of lives in danger and risks exposing all of you, my daughter included." she said as Stefan nodded in agreement. "So, who can you think of who wants blood that bad, who would be so careless?" she asked as Stefan shook his head, however the only thing he could consider an option, he hoped wasn't possible. He'd need to run his suspicion past Damon.

Elena stepped out of the shower to see that Damon had already changed the sheets and had made a start on the rose petals on the floor when there was a sudden knock at the bedroom door.

"You decent in there?" came Stefan's voice from the other side. Damon looked to Elena to see if she was comfortable with Stefan coming in whilst she was covered in just a towel around her hair and body. Stefan was lucky, if he'd have turned up ten minutes earlier he'd have been categorically told to fuck off as they were having hot sex in the shower. Elena nodded towards Damon, confirming she felt comfortable with the situation.

"Yeah, you can come in." Damon called out as Stefan walked in with a folder in his hand.

"I brought these from Sheriff Forbes..." Stefan stopped as he took in the scene around him. There were rose petals strewn everywhere, which Damon was currently clearing up. The bathroom floor was wet, although Stefan could see that someone had cleaned it, probably Damon. Fresh sheets on the newly made bed, but what caught his attention was the contents of the bath. The water was tinged a red color from what was in all likelihood to be blood. Stefan didn't know where to look, Elena was stood wearing a towel, as was Damon. They'd clearly both showered and shared a bath which had involved some kind of blood play, his sense of smell was telling him what it was, the room also reeked of sex and he wanted to get out of there are quickly as he could.. "Here." he said as he put the folder down on Damon's dresser, leaving the room in a hurry.

"What was his problem?" Elena asked, frowning as Damon noticed the bath full of red water.

"I think he noticed the blood bath." he laughed, nodding over at the tub as Elena looked over and started laughing as she walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"Stefan's going to think you're corrupting me." she giggled as Damon walked over to her and stood in front of her, looming over in a predatory fashion.

"And am I corrupting you?" he growled as he pushed her back on the bed and hovered over her, his eyes roaming over the towel she was wearing, before he bit his bottom lip and opened it up, revealing her naked body.

"Not nearly enough." Elena whispered, being mindful that Stefan was somewhere in the house.

"Well it looks like I'm not trying hard enough." he grinned as he lowered his body and kissed her passionately before making his way to her jawline and nipping her ear.

Damon began to lather his kisses down Elena's neck, scraping his blunt teeth along her jugular, sending heat pooling in her stomach before focusing his attention on her collar bone, sucking and nipping his way down her chest. Soon he reached her breasts and took one in his mouth and began licking her areola and gently tugging at her nipple with his teeth before licking it with his tongue. After a few moments of devotion he made his way to the other breast and gave it exactly the same amount of attention.

Making his way further down, Damon circled Elena's navel with his tongue before continuing to pepper kisses all the way down to the tops of her thighs, where he ran his tongue along the crease of her thigh towards her pussy. Damon stopped just before he reached his goal and repeated the process along the other crease, anticipation was driving Elena frantic with desire. Getting down on his knees, Damon spread Elena's legs apart and blew into her entrance before he began to gently massage her clit with thumb as his tongue initially explored her pussy before settling in to tongue fuck her.

Knowing Stefan was downstairs, Elena tried her best to keep the noise down but Damon was doing his damnedest to make sure that Elena couldn't keep quiet, the heat was quickly pooling in her stomach and her hips were beginning to buck, a signal that she was close. Damon switched tactics and inserted two fingers inside her and began pumping his hand whilst he attacked her nub with his mouth, circling his tongue as he intermittently sucked until Elena could take it no more. Damon inserted a third finger which pushed Elena over the edge, the white hot spasms heating up her pussy and electrifying the rest of her body. Elena's back arched and she went rigid, as she pulled a pillow over her face so that she could scream into it to avoid Stefan hearing her, because at that point, if she had not, all of Mystic Falls would have heard her cries.

Before Elena had chance to come down from her high, Damon had removed the pillow and replaced it with his mouth as he swiftly thrust into her, nearly causing Elena to have another orgasm just from the sense of fulfilment. Damon lifted Elena's arms above her head as he stood back up and lifted her legs around his waist, holding her hips slightly in the air and continued thrusting whilst Elena lay on the bed, moving in unison with him as they both moaned with pleasure.

This may not have been Elena's favorite position for ultimate penetration and friction, however it did offer her the best view of any other position. From the angle she was at, she was able to admire the man fucking her and he was perfect, he must have removed the towel at an earlier point, but the more Elena looked at him, the more she realized he was the most beautiful man on the planet, inside and out. However, right at this moment, just looking at him turning her on even more, it had already gotten to the point where she knew she wouldn't last much longer.

"Oh yes...oh yes...oh yes..." Elena panted quietly. "I want more." she whispered. "And harder." she added.

"I'll give you more and harder." Damon moaned. "You are so fucking beautiful." he growled as he increased the pace of his thrusts.

"I'm going to come." Elena panted.

"Me too." Damon replied as his thumb found Elena's clit and began massaging it with a fervor which quickly threw Elena over the edge. The spasms exploded in her pussy and because of the angle she was at, they felt like they were traveling down her spine as she arched her back.

"Oh my god...Fuck Damon...Yes!" Elena screamed, this time forgetting the pillow, her pussy felt like it was a melting point as her contractions milked Damon's cock as he came with her.

"Fuck...Elena..." Damon cried as he scrunched up is face, spilling his hot seed inside her, before collapsing on top of Elena for a moment to recover as his cock softened inside of her.

After a few moments, Elena had finally managed to catch her breath. "You don't think Stefan heard that?" Elena whispered.

"I think the entire state of Virginia heard that." Damon turned to look at her and grinned as Elena tapped him on the arm playfully, prompting Damon to pull out of her and roll onto his back. "I ought to have a look at that file." he sighed, suddenly turning serious before kissing Elena on the lips and getting up off the bed. He picked the towel he'd had wrapped around his waist up off the floor and threw it into the laundry basket, before walking across the room naked, allowing Elena to admire the view, whilst he took a pair of boxer briefs out of the drawer and opened the file and began to scan through the contents frowning.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked as Damon walked into his closet and pulled out a maroon sweater and black jeans before he started to get dressed.

"Don't you think it's a little odd that the woman who helped destroy Klaus's hybrids is now in regular contact with Klaus?" Damon asked as Elena shrugged. "I'd have thought she'd have been dead by now unless she knows something that would benefit Klaus." he mused.

"True." Elena said. "You think she knows where Katherine is?" she asked.

"Maybe." Damon replied as he walked over and kissed her once more. "I better go make peace with my brother." he said. "You might want to stay up here a couple of minutes to see if he says anything." he whispered as Elena nodded before Damon kissed her one more time and left the room with the file in his hand.

Downstairs, Stefan poured himself a drink to wait for Damon and Elena to get changed and come downstairs. However he realized he might be waiting a while when he overheard a conversation between the two of them discussing what he'd seen and what his reaction was. Shocked was the only word that could describe his reaction. He'd heard of vampires indulging in blood play, those that were promiscuous used it for fetishes, couples used it as an additional emotional connection during sex. Due to his blood issues, it was something Stefan had neither been able to, or would ever be able to participate in. And although it wasn't human blood, he didn't want to risk having the same reaction as he did when he was drinking human blood, so he refrained from even trying it. But the fact that Damon and Elena were already at the stage where they were employing blood play into their sex life had surprised him. He wondered if it was for the emotional connection or to further sexual gratification on Damon's part, as he knew Elena wasn't particularly adventurous in bed. In his mind, Elena could only be summed up as 'Little Miss Missionary.' His nickname may have sounded like an insult to some, but to him she was perfect, he liked being in charge and to dictate the pace of sex. He didn't want a woman who would challenge him in that manner, apart from Rebekah, but that was a different story.

Stefan sat down and continued to wait as everything went silent for a few minutes, leaving Stefan wondering what was keeping them, however he didn't have to wonder for long when with the help of his vampire hearing, he heard the distinct sound of Elena moaning with pleasure. It was a sound he knew well as he'd been the cause of it a few times, although he had to admit probably not as loud as she was right now considering how far away he was from Damon's room. As much as he didn't want to listen, he couldn't stop himself. He knew that they'd had sex only a few minutes before he'd arrived, surely they didn't need to be having sex again. This wasn't the Elena he knew, he was beginning to suspect Damon might not be a good influence on her after all. Next thing she'd be feeding direct from the vein as a form of foreplay. Stefan began feeling more and more uncomfortable as the noises grew louder, and he began to hear Damon moaning with her. To compound matters further, and confirm their activities, he could hear creaking, which Stefan assumed, was either coming from a floorboard or Damon's bed.

The moans from Damon's bedroom suddenly turned into words between the two lovers, as they began pleading with each other for more. If this had been anyone other than his brother and his ex girlfriend, Stefan might have found this quite erotic, but considering who the participants were, it had the opposite effect. Just as Stefan was about to go and wait outside to try and escape the onslaught of the sound of sex exploding in his ears, her heard Elena scream.

"Oh my god...Fuck Damon...Yes!" he heard Elena scream.

"Fuck...Elena..." he heard Damon cry as the creaking noise stopped.

Stefan poured himself another drink, a large one this time as he hoped they'd finished because he'd never heard Elena or even Damon for that matter cry out like that before. Sure enough, five minutes later Damon appeared in the parlor, immaculately dressed, with the folder in his hands, he walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a drink.

"Took your time brother." Stefan said innocently as Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Have you looked through these?" Damon asked, trying to deflect even though he knew Stefan had heard everything, a thought that made Damon smile inwardly, as he sat on the couch opposite to Stefan who nodded.

"Klaus, Professor Shane and lots of calls to the New Orleans area." Stefan said. "You think that's where Katherine is?" he asked,

"I dunno." Damon replied. "Katherine likes to keep a low profile, and as you and I both know, there's a lot of vampires in the French Quarter." he said. "Not really a place to go to keep a low profile is it?" he asked.

"Hmm." Stefan replied frowning. "So now what?" he asked.

"We pay Klaus a visit." Damon grinned. "Well I'll pay Klaus a visit. You're still officially on his shit list and I can't guarantee your safety." he told him as Stefan scowled. "Okay, do you have any other suggestions?" he asked, as Stefan just shook his head.

"There's something else you need to know." Stefan sighed as Damon frowned. "We might have company in town." he told him.

"Come again?" Damon asked. "Hello, we're not the only vampires in town." he reminded him.

"Sheriff Forbes told me the blood at the hospital had all been cleared out." Stefan told Damon. "Reserves, everything." he said as Damon frowned.

"That's... concerning." Damon said thoughtfully. "She doesn't think it's us does she?" he asked as Stefan shook his head. Damon got up and walked over to the fireplace, clearly thinking. "Either we've got a lot of company or someone is being extremely careless." he said.

"Or we've got a two thousand year old immortal who's desperate for a drink." Stefan suggested as Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You think Silas followed us?" Damon asked.

"It would fit." Stefan said as Elena walked into the room. "But we have no proof." he added.

"Look I'll take care of Klaus, and then we'll talk about this later." Damon said as Elena walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Are you going to see Klaus now?" Elena asked looking at Damon, who nodded. "Can you give me a ride to Matt's to pick up Jeremy so we can take him home?" she asked. "I want to spend a little bit of time with him." she smiled.

"Fine. I'll meet you at the car." Damon smiled as Elena headed back to Damon's room to grab her bag.

"You be careful brother." Stefan said as Damon got up and put his jacket on to leave.

"Always am." he replied as he tapped Stefan on the arm affectionately before heading out of the door to wait for Elena.

  


 

 


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Their meeting had been set up for 8pm in the truck stop parking lot on the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Feeling nervous about the encounter, and not knowing what to expect, especially considering their last meeting, Hayley had decided to wait for a little while inside the store and browse that magazine stand. Looking at the clock, she noticed it was two minutes after eight, deciding that she didn't want to be late, she put the magazine down she was looking at and left the store to look for him. She walked out of the store and began searching the parking lot, cautiously looking between two huge eighteen wheel trucks.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of something hitting metal. Stopping for a second, she took a look around, when she suddenly heard the noise again but this time it was from behind her. Hayley turned around and saw a man standing between the two trucks where she'd just been searching. The man vamp-sped over to her, grabbing her by the throat, he slammed her against the side of one of the trucks. Hayley began to choke and gasp for air, as the vampire threw her to the ground and looked down at her, snarling. Suddenly there was a whooshing noise and before the man could do anything to Hayley, the man she was meeting, Klaus vamp-sped up to the strange vampire, grabbed him by his jacket, and spun him around to face him.

"Have a care, mate. That's no way to treat a lady." Klaus said, his fangs extending and his eyes glowing gold.

Klaus grabbed the vampire and bit down on his neck causing the vampire to screams, however Klaus continued to bite down on him. Klaus suddenly stopped draining the vampire and threw him against one of the trucks before the vampire slumped to the tarmac as Klaus looked down at Hayley who was still sat on the ground.

"You came." she said, clearly relieved by Klaus's appearing just in time to save her.

"Well, you did say it was urgent." Klaus smiled, as the vampire that Klaus had just attacked was still writhing on the ground, gripping his neck wound and moaning. Klaus extended his hand towards Hayley, who took it and Klaus pulled her up from the ground. Hayley looked over at the vampire lying on the ground, when he suddenly got up and vamp-sped away.

"Oh, don't worry about him, love." Klaus smiled. "He'll never make it through tomorrow night." he added.

"What if there are more?" Hayley asked anxiously.

"You were foolish enough to make a deal with Katerina Petrova. She used you to find the cure and now you're nothing but a loose end." Klaus told her. "You'll be lucky if she lets you live." he said.

"You said you would protect me." Hayley said angrily as she shoved past Klaus.

"And I will." Klaus said as he turned to face Hayley. "Just as soon as you tell me everything you know about Katerina." he smiled. "I say we go back to my place, it's a little less public. My car is that way." he stretched his hand out as a gesture to Hayley for her to lead the way.

Rebekah arrived back at her house straight from dropping Kol's body off at Klaus's mansion. Klaus had said he would get rid of his body, and although Rebekah and Klaus were angry, they both knew Kol ultimately had only himself to blame with his hair-brained idea's of saving the world from the mythical Silas. Well that's what she would have normally thought, but when she saw Professor Shane lying injured on the island after he'd officially left with the rest of the group, she knew something was wrong and there was a possibility that they were all in grave danger.

Getting in the shower she thought more and more about what the Professor had told her. She realized for the greater good, she would need to tell everyone. Sometimes a common enemy made even the worst of enemies work together, and if what Professor Shane had said was right, they were going to have to work hard. Yes the cure was an option but Professor Shane had suggested a back-up way to destroy Silas, a way that even Silas himself wouldn't know about. She just didn't understand it yet, she needed to search for a prophesy which would tell them how to break the bloodline of which Silas drew his power from. He had mentioned the names Antipatros and Alekto, however he had warned her to be careful who she mentioned this information to. If witches knew she was researching them, his followers would try and find her and thwart her.

Rebekah had decided that she would help find a way to destroy Silas and tell everyone that he was risen and what Professor Shane had told her, however, she wanted to know what everyone else knew first. She didn't quite want to share the information about the prophesy until she knew what it was. She wanted leverage so that she could have the cure for herself.

Damon waited at the door of Klaus's mansion. He'd dropped Elena and Jeremy off at the Gilbert house for the two of them to spend some quality bonding time there. They'd initially gone over to the Quarterbacks ramshackle house, only to find he'd been upgraded to the Lockwood mansion, courtesy of Tyler going on the run from Klaus, who'd signed over the deeds to his house and made it a vampire free zone. Not that Damon could blame the Quarterback in this instance, it made sense for the humans to have a safe house from The Originals. Blondie was obviously devastated, but on the plus side, it kept Stefan out of his hair whilst he comforted her, leaving him and Elena able to spend some quality time together.

Suddenly Damon was broken from his reverie as Klaus opened the door. Damon grimaced at him, and instead of waiting for an invite, he pushed past Klaus and walked inside the house.

"Ah, what an unpleasant surprise." Klaus snarled, closing the door and following Damon into the parlor.

"So I just came up with a list." Damon told him, waving the folder in his hand containing all of the highlighted information from the file Liz had given to Stefan earlier.

"It's called "Things You Suck At" " he said as he stopped and turned to face Klaus. "Number one: Finding Katherine. Ever." Damon began. "Number two: covering up your secret phone conversations with that little backstabber Hayley." he said as he threw the phone transcripts down on the table "Yeah, so, where is she? What does she know about Katherine?" he asked.

"I should help you?" Klaus asked surprised.

"Mhm." Damon nodded.

"After you lot imprisoned me in the Gilbert living room?" Klaus frowned, as Damon walked over to Klaus.

"You might want to prioritize, Klaus. You have much bigger problems." Damon said, hoping he wasn't going to have to raise his suspicions about Silas yet, as Klaus looked at him blankly. "Katherine has the cure." Damon told him as Klaus's face contorted with anger. "My guess is she's gonna want to cram it down your throat." Damon said. "You help me find Katherine, I'll get the cure, I'll give it to Elena, everybody wins." Damon lied .Just let me question Hayley about Katherine." he asked as Klaus just smiled and walked towards Damon.

"Can't help you, mate. Hayley's off limits." Klaus said as he walked past Damon and sat down on the couch. "Although, I did have a run in with a vampire who may know where Katerina is." he smiled knowingly, as Damon turned around to look at him. "Too bad for you, I bit halfway through his bloody neck. He probably won't have much time for chit-chat." he grinned.

"Where?" Damon asked, hopeful that they'd catch the vampire before he bit it from the werewolf bite.

"The truck stop of the edge of town." Klaus told him. "Hurry and you might get lucky." he offered as Damon vamp-sped out of the house and to his car, only pausing to pick up the file on his way out.

Caroline arrived at the Lockwood mansion less than half an hour after receiving her text from Matt. She'd been at her mom's house with Stefan pouring her heart out with him over what had happened whilst he was on the island, with regards to Tyler and Klaus before he filled her in with what had happened on the island. Matt had asked her to meet him over at Tyler's place and Stefan had gone to see her mom for some phone records. Caroline approached the door and opened it, however when she tried to step inside, she couldn't, it was as if there were some invisible barrier stopping her from getting in.

"Matt?" Caroline called out.

"Care." Matt replies as he walked down the hall.

"Matt, why can't I get inside?" Caroline asked confused.

Matt glanced down at a piece of paper in his hands, then looked back up at Caroline. "Come in." he said as Caroline walked slowly through the door confused.

"Matt, what's going on?" Caroline asked.

"Tyler sent me this package in the mail." Matt told her before holding out a piece of paper for her. "This is for you." he said as Caroline nervously took the piece of paper in her hand and read it.

_Dear Care,_ the letter said.

_I miss you more than I can put into words, but I know as long as Klaus is alive, I can't come home. He won't stop trying to kill me, and you won't stop trying to protect me. Which means the only way to make sure you're safe is for me to go and never come back. I left Matt the deed to the house. It will protect you in ways I can't anymore. I will always love you._

Caroline flipped the letter over to see if there was anything else but there's nothing on the back of the note.

"He's not coming back." Caroline said, her voice breaking, before the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Matt walked over to her and hugged her, knowing that she was right and she'd just had her heart broken in the biggest way possible, and it was his turn to be her friend, especially as he'd been the one to break the bad news to her.

Damon, arrived at the truck stop where Klaus told him that he had met up with Hayley earlier. Concerned with the lack of information regarding the missing blood, Damon decided to call Stefan whilst he looked for the mystery vampire.

"Any more news on the missing blood supplies?" Damon asked.

"Nothing concrete yet." Stefan told him. "I'm waiting for my contact in Richmond to get back to me." he said. "More importantly, where are you right now?" Stefan asked.

"I'm at a truck stop in the boonies looking for a dead vampire that might lead to Katherine and the cure." Damon told Stefan as he heard an engine revving and began to cautiously look around. "Well you keep listening out for what information you can whilst I keep searching for the lead Klaus gave me. I don't want to spook him." he said as he hung up on Stefan. Damon continued still looking around suspiciously, feeling certain he was being watched, when he turned back around Rebekah suddenly appeared a few feet away.

"You. I thought you were still vacationing on Numskull Island." Damon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was looking for answers, and all I found was your Professor Shane, seriously injured with a few words of wisdom and a prophesy regarding killing Silas, and with him, anything anyone knows about the cure." Rebekah smirked.

"Guess you won't turn into a real girl after all." Damon chuckled, walking away.

"Oh, I'll get the cure. I just need Katherine, whilst we find another way to destroy Silas." Rebekah told him as Damon turned around to look at her, anxiety spreading all over his face. "And I'm betting you can help me find her." she said.

"Why would I help you?" Damon asked suspiciously.

"Because I was smart enough to bring a pinch of my brother's blood." Rebekah smirked, holding up a vial of blood.. "How else would you interrogate a vampire who's practically dead from a wolf bite?" she asked as Damon made a grab at the vial but Rebekah's snatched it away.

"Fine. Follow me." Damon sighed grudgingly. "I might know where to look." he said.

Bonnie was sat in her living room with a man that looked exactly like Professor Shane, yet only a few hours earlier, whilst she was visiting him at Whitmore College, he'd revealed to her that he was in fact Silas and not Professor Shane, who was now dead from the injuries he sustained from his fall, and Silas had actually been the one to save her from the cave. After a long and intense conversation at the Professor's office, Bonnie had agreed to take Silas back to Mystic Falls with her to help her contain her magic and prepare her for bringing Grams back to life. According to Silas, he'd opted to stay in Professor Shane's form, so that Bonnie would feel more comfortable and familiar with him around. This is how Bonnie found herself sitting across from the two thousand year old immortal in her living room.

"Okay. Come on. Take a deep breath." Silas inhaled deeply. "And 5, 4—2..." he continued.

"I can't do this." Bonnie complained.

"Bonnie, relax, okay? Trust me." Silas assured her.

"How can I trust you if you won't show me your real face?" Bonnie asked. "Don't you think it's a little creepy that you're appearing as my now probably dead professor?" she said.

"I told you that I'm Silas, I told you Shane died on the island. I'm trying to earn your trust." Silas insisted, as Bonnie turned to look away from him. "All right. Look. You invited me into your home, right? Why?" Silas asked sounding confused. "Why did you convince your dad that you needed Professor Shane's help to control your magic? What am I doing here?"

"You're in my head. You're making me see things and do things." Bonnie said, getting up appearing flustered as she began pacing the floor.

"Hey, now. See?" Silas said softly as he also got up and put his hand on her arm "Look. I'm strong, but you're a witch, and I can't force you to do anything that you don't already want to do." he assured her. "You care about your Grams, right?" Silas asked.

"I do." Bonnie admitted, nodding sadly.

"Yeah. And now, in order to bring her back..." Silas began.

"I need to get rid of the Other Side." Bonnie interrupted.

"You are descended from Qetsiyah, one of the most powerful witches of all time. Only you can complete the triangle and cast the spell." Silas told her.

"Completing the triangle means killing twelve people." Bonnie said in disgust as she tuned away.

"Twelve people you can bring back. Bonnie, you can do this... for your Grams." Silas reassured her as Bonnie turned around to look at him once more.

"Are you sure I can bring them back?" Bonnie asked wearily.

"I wouldn't be here if you couldn't." Silas smiled as Bonnie shrugged and sat back down.

"Okay, so what's your plan?" she sighed as Silas smiled triumphantly.

Damon and Rebekah arrived at Grove Hills hospital to look for the sick vampire. Damon knew Mystic Falls Hospital was out of blood so the nearest option was Grove Hills. Damon was walking down the hallway in the hospital, whilst Rebekah followed him.

"Why exactly would you think a sick vampire would check into a hospital?" Rebekah asked.

Damon pointed upwards. "You know that little bright thing in the sky? It's called the sun." Damon said sarcastically. "He needs to avoid that. Plus, the hospital's open twenty four seven. Not to mention he's hungry and delusional." he explained as he stopped and pushed open a door into another room. Rebekah follows him into what looked like a dark storage room full of refrigerators. Damon opened the door to one of the coolers, finding it's empty. Confused, he closed it and moved on to the next one, however he just found the same thing, the trays were all empty.

"Impressive." Rebekah said sarcastically. "You're like Sherlock Holmes with brain damage." she huffed, as Damon continued checking the rest of the coolers, but to no avail.

"Stefan said the Mystic Falls Hospital had its entire blood bank raided, too." Damon told her.

"It looks like our vampire gets around." Rebekah sighed.

"No." Damon said shaking his head. "The guy's dying of a werewolf bite. He wouldn't have time to steal from both hospitals. This is someone else." he said.

"Who?" Rebekah asked.

"That's another problem." Damon frowned thoughtfully, thinking back to what Rebekah had said earlier regarding Professor Shane and Silas.. "But on the plus side, if our guy did by chance come here, he's got nothing, which means he's nearby and he's hungry." he smiled as he started to walk towards the door but Rebekah moved too quickly and blocked his way.

"This better not be a wild goose chase." Rebekah warned.

"I want to find Katherine as much as you do." Damon insisted.

"Really? Why?" Rebekah asked.

"Elena and I were hoping Bonnie might be able to replicate the cure." Damon explained. "It meant that one day we might be able to have a family." he said as Rebekah let him through.

"Oh." she said as they walked back through the hallway to leave the building. "You don't strike me as the type who'd want a family." Rebekah said raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if it makes Elena happy, it makes me happy." Damon shrugged as they walked outside, immediately noticing it was already dark. "Looks like we'll have to resort to plan b." Damon said scouring the parking lot.

"And whats that then?" Rebekah asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"This!" Damon said as he vamp-sped over to a female hospital employee and began feeding on her whilst Rebekah watched on in interest.

"Well, nobody could ever mistake you for subtle." Rebekah said rolling her eyes.

"You have to take pride in your work." Damon smirked before turning to look at the to the woman. "It's okay. Come here, come here. Now." he compelled her. "I want you to walk very slowly to your car. Off you go." he said folding his arms as the woman walked away.

"You know, I just don't see how this increases our odds any." Rebekah asked confused.

"I've been on the other side of a wolf bite. First you get really sick. Then you get really hungry." Damon explained, wiping the blood from his mouth. "Since the sun's gone down, I'm imagining he's gonna be looking for his last supper. I just laid out a three course, one hundred and fifteen pound meal for him." he grinned.

Suddenly, they heard a noise as they both looked to the woman who was stumbling towards her car when a vampire appeared several yards away from behind a tree. Damon vamp-sped over to the vampire and pinned him against the tree, ready to fight him when Damon looked the guy, and stopped as he recognized his face.

"Damon?" the vampire asked, surprised.

"Will?" Damon said in shock.

"Hey, buddy." Will said, his breathing laborious as he pulled the collar away from his neck, revealing an ugly looking bite wound. "I think there's something wrong with me. I need help." he begged.

"Yeah, it's okay." Damon smiled sympathetically. "I know what to do." he reassured him, as he suddenly plunged his fist into Will's chest and pulled his heart out. Will dropped to the ground as Rebekah rushed at them.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Rebekah cried angrily.

"He was too far gone. I put him out of his misery." Damon shrugged, not wanting to tell her that he already knew where to start his search.

"What now?" Rebekah asked.

"Earlier, you mentioned Professor Shane was on the island." Damon said as Rebekah nodded. "Which means that if he's there, the guy who came back with us must be Silas."

"Obviously." Rebekah put her hands on her hips.

"So what would an immortal do after desiccating for two thousand years?" he asked. "What would he desperately need."

"Blood, and lots of it." Rebekah replied as the penny dropped. "So he's definitely here." she said.

"Yep." Damon agreed, "And he's probably brainwashing Bonnie right now into dropping the veil to release all of the dead supernatural beings from the other side." he added.

"That's not good." Rebekah said worriedly.

"We're going to need that cure for Silas." Damon sighed.

"Professor Shane said there might be another way." Rebekah told him.

"Fine." Damon sighed walking away, leaving Rebekah standing alone whilst he took his phone out of his pocket and called Stefan who answered almost immediately.

"I need you to get hold of the whole Scooby gang except Bonnie." Damon told him. "I want them to meet up at the boarding house straight away." he said.

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"We need that cure." Damon told him. "The blood supplies at Grove Hills is empty. I think Silas might be in town." he said.

"Sure I'll get on it." Stefan replied as Damon hung up and turned around to look at Rebekah.

"That includes you too." he called over to Rebekah, who started to follow him whilst he called Elena who answered the phone immediately.

"Damon, you okay?" she asked.

"You up for another road trip?" he asked. "Except this time in a nice hotel instead of camping?"

"When and where are we going?" he heard her ask, prompting a large grin to erupt across his face.

"Meet me at the boarding house with just your overnight bag and I'll tell you." he replied smiling to himself.

An hour later, Damon stood in front of the fireplace in the Salvatore boarding house, taking in the group of people around him. He'd gathered Elena, Stefan, Caroline, Matt, Jeremy and Rebekah for a conference and to formulate a plan of action. The day had provided many twists and turns which had left Damon with no other option.

"Looks like the Scooby gang are all here." he smiled.

"What about Bonnie?" Caroline asked.

"She's not invited." Damon told her as she frowned with disapproval. "I'll explain everything in time." he assured her as he turned to Rebekah. "Rebekah, could you please tell us all what happened after we left the island?" he asked as he sat down on the couch next to Elena, allowing Rebekah to take his place in front of the fire to address the group.

"When you left and I went to look for Kol." Rebekah told them. " Not too far from the camp site, I came across an injured looking Professor Shane." she stopped to look at the stunned faces all around her.

"But Professor Shane is back at Whitmore College isn't he?" Stefan asked confused.

"I thought he came back with Bonnie." Elena said.

"He did." Damon piped up. "Or so we thought." he added. "Go on." he nodded at Rebekah.

"He was injured and dying." Rebekah told them. "He offered to give me information regarding another way to destroy Silas if I helped him." she explained. "He told me of a prophesy surrounding the destruction of Silas. He thinks the pieces maybe in play for it to happen soon, but the veil must be lowered for Qetsiyah to rise and tell the messenger what to do." she said.

"And where is Professor Shane right now?" Caroline asked.

"I snapped his neck." Rebekah told them. "He didn't want vampire blood, instead after he'd seen Silas, he just wanted to die and for me to make it to be quick and painless." she shrugged.

"So let me get this straight." Stefan said. "He told you that in order to destroy Silas, who it appears is currently posing as Professor Shane, Bonnie needs to lower the veil to the other side." he continued as Rebekah nodded.

"You can't do that!" Jeremy cried out. "Look what happened last time the veil to the other side was lowered."

"Yeah, you got caught with your pants down." Damon sniggered, earning him a tap on the arm and a glare from Elena.

"And Vicks came back and tried to kill Elena." Matt complained.

"And the last time I got spit roasted by Mason Lockwood." Damon told them. "And he was here to help." he went on. "The last time only the ones with unfinished business came back. If we lower the veil like Silas or Professor Shane wants, then everyone comes back." he added shuddering.

"He said they players are in place for the prophesy to come true and that once the veil is lowered, Qetsiyah would appear to the messenger and tell them what to do." Rebekah told them.

"I wonder if Bonnie's the messenger." Jeremy suggested.

"It would make sense." Stefan said. "Silas has to keep her alive to lower the veil, but by keeping her alive, he could also cause his own destruction." he shrugged.

"Speaking of which..." Damon said. "Bonnie might not know that Professor Shane is actually Silas. We don't know what he's told her, so be careful. There's a third massacre that needs to happen. We're going to need to concentrate on finding out about that." he suggested.

"So what do we do?" Elena asked as Damon stood back up and took Rebekah's place who went to stand with Matt, earning her a raised eyebrow from Stefan.

"We need to form teams." Damon told them. "We need a team to find Katherine and the cure, just in case this prophesy is fake." he said. "We need a team to keep an eye out on Bonnie and we need a team to go searching for more clues about this prophesy." he added. "I've got a possible lead on Katherine. So Elena and I are going to look for her."

"I don't mind helping look after Bonnie." Jeremy offered.

"I bet you don't Little Gilbert." Damon smirked, earning him yet another glare from Elena as Jeremy blushed a little.

"Me too." Caroline added, ignoring Damon's quip.

"I'll go look for information on the Silas prophesy." Rebekah offered. "Kol used to run with witches who worshiped Silas. Those covens should hopefully still exist."

"I'll help with that." Matt said as Rebekah turned to look at him.

"Do you have a passport?" Rebekah asked.

"I've never set one foot outside of this town." Matt said. "So no." he said, his face downcast. "Do you?" he asked looking at Rebekah.

"My mom can get fake ones." Caroline piped up, causing everyone to look at her in surprise. "She was going to get some fake ID for me and Tyler when we were going to be on the run from the council." she explained.

"What do we need passports for?" Matt asked.

"These covens were in various places around the world." Rebekah told him. "It will take a little bit of time for me to find them."

"Why do you need these witches?" Stefan asked.

"Whatever Silas knows might be outdated." Rebekah said as everyone looked at her confused. "Silas only knows as much as what happened up until the point where he was put in the cave." she told them. "Who knows what happened afterwards. He might not know the full story, and while he doesn't, that is advantage us." she said.

"And what makes you think that there might be things he doesn't know?" Damon asked.

"I'm an Original." Rebekah said putting her hands on her hips. "How many people think we are a myth? How many stories are there around the world that are completely false? And how many of those stories do we know about?" she said. "When I woke from my coffin, how was I supposed to know that Stefan had moved on and fell in love with someone else?" she asked.

"So you think there are holes in Silas's knowledge?" Elena asked.

"Well Professor Shane suggested there was another way to destroy him." Rebekah said. "Does Silas know that?" she asked, looking around the room of blank faces before turning back to Matt. "Are you sure you are up for this?" she asked. "It could get dangerous." she warned.

"As long as I can get my job at the Grill back when we're done, I'm cool with it." he smiled. "Oh and I figured you're paying." he said to Rebekah. "You did almost kill me this year." he added.

"Deal!" Rebekah smiled. "I do have a condition." she suddenly said, turning to the group.

"You're setting conditions to help us destroy the big bad?" Damon asked confused.

"If you find it, and we have no need to use it on Silas, I want the cure, I want to decide what is done with it." Rebekah demanded as they all looked around at each other in shocked silence, Caroline was the first to speak.

"I don't care about some lame ass cure." Caroline said. "You can take it for me."

"I only want it if there is more than one dose." Elena said looking up at Damon smiling before looking back at Rebekah. "We were hoping that Bonnie might be able to find a way to replicate it, I mean she is a descendant of Qetsiyah's family, who knows, she might be strong enough to do it now." she added.

"Right now I don't think Bonnie's in a position to be able to do anything." Stefan sighed sadly as he looked at Elena, who nodded whilst Damon took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"I guess that's a no from Elena and me." Damon said.

"Stefan?" Rebekah looked to the other Salvatore who looked up at her. "I know you wanted to take it, but we talked about this on the island, would your decision still be the same?" she asked.

"I don't know." he said quietly, causing a few raised eyebrows in the group. "But you take the cure and you decide to do what you think is right with it." he sighed, although he knew that there was no way in hell that Damon and Elena would give up the cure, especially if it meant they could destroy Klaus with it.

"Good." Rebekah smiled. "But I should tell you, that wasn't all that Professor Shane told me. But the rest is my leverage." she smirked earning her a scowl from Damon. "And before you get any idea's about asking Matt, he won't be taking vervain and if need be I will compel him not to tell you anything until I have the cure."

"It's okay Rebekah." Elena sighed. "We get it. If you can't have it, we use it on Silas." she said. "Is that it?" she asked, turning to Damon.

"Stefan?" Damon asked, turning to his brother. "Which group do you want to help with?"

"I think team Bonnie will need more vampire power than researching history." he said, looking up to Caroline smiling, who returned his smile.

"Good, glad we've got all of that sorted out." Damon told them before facing Rebekah. "I did overhear Professor Shane telling Bonnie about a curse being put on Qetsiyah herself by Silas's brother who was called Antipatros." he said. "That's as good a place to start as any." he smiled as Rebekah nodded. "You see Rebekah, for the sake of man and vampire-kind. _I share_." he scowled.

"Thank you Damon." she said sarcastically. "I'll be sure to use that in my search."

"If this prophesy is true." Elena smiled. "Then hopefully we won't need the cure to destroy Silas and when we get Bonnie back to normal then maybe she can find a way to replicate it. She is a descendant of Qetsiyah's family." she added, looking at Damon as they both recalled their earlier conversation in the bath tub, prompting him to smile.

"Let's not get our hopes up yet." Stefan chimed in. "I suggest we make a start as quickly as we can." he turned to Damon and Elena. "When are you two setting off on your little road trip?" he asked.

"Soon." Damon smiled. "We just need to pack a snack."

"Where are you going?" Stefan asked.

"New York." Damon grinned looking at Elena, who looked back in shock.

"New York?" she asked wide eyed.

"Billy's?" Stefan asked as Damon nodded in reply. "Good call." he said as Damon and Elena got up to go. "How long will you be gone?" he asked.

Damon shrugged. "No idea. Need to see what leads we can find, hopefully only a few days." he said.

"Then why am I only taking an overnight bag?" Elena asked.

"Retail therapy." Damon grinned as Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Call if you need anything." Stefan said as Damon picked up both his and Elena's bags and began to make his way out to the car as Stefan and Elena followed.

"I will brother." Damon said, turning to look at Stefan as Elena walked around to the passenger side of Damon's car.

"Stefan." Elena called out as Stefan nodded. "Will you make sure Jeremy goes to school? I don't want us to have to compel his teachers that he was there and receiving wonderful grades."

"That's gonna take one helluva compulsion for them to believe that." Damon muttered with a smirk on his face as Stefan tried not to laugh.

"Damon!" Elena shouted as she got in the car and folded her arms.

"I think you've just extended the retail therapy session." Stefan smirked as he tapped Damon on the arm before he turned to go back into the house.

"See ya brother." Damon smiled as he climbed into the car and watched Stefan walk into the house before turning to look at Elena. "You ready for the Big Apple?" he asked grinning.

  
  


 


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon led Elena down the steps to a small, half empty looking bar. They'd arrived in New York a few hours earlier and checked into a nice little hotel before Damon had taken Elena on a whirlwind shopping spree. Damon had refused to stay at his own apartment in Tribeca as it hadn't been touched since the seventies and would be in such a state of disrepair that it would be unfit for habitation for even one night. Damon had however, made a mental note that the next problem on the to do list to be dealt with after Silas, was to make a start on renovating some of his properties as he and Elena would have to move around a lot after she'd finished college if Bonnie couldn't replicate the cure.

The bar was dark and dingy, at the opposite end of the room was an empty stage, speakers and drums already set up for what Elena assumed to be a band playing later. There were were a few tables scattered around the edge of the room and the area in front of the stage was clearly a dance floor. The place also ranked as probably the filthiest bar she'd ever been to.

"You brought me to a bar?" Elena asked, turning around to look at Damon who was stood behind her.

"The last time I took you to a bar we had fun." Damon smiled. "You didn't even like me back then. Imagine how much fun we can have now you do like me." he winked.

"I have no problems going to a bar Damon." Elena frowned. "But surely there has to be one that's a little..." she swiped her finger across one of the tables, wincing at the result. "...cleaner?" she asked wincing.

"Ah well, there's two reasons why I brought you here." Damon told her, as he walked over to the bar.

"And what's that?" Elena asked raising an eyebrow.

"Three if you want to include beer." he replied as the bartender walked over towards them. "Two beers." he requested as the bartender opened two bottles of beer and handed them over to Damon who subsequently paid for them.

"I'm listening." Elena said as Damon gave her one of the bottles of beer before making their way to one of the tables.

"I promised you some fun didn't I?" Damon asked.

"Yeah...but I thought it would be a little...cleaner." Elena grimaced. "And busier." she added looking around at the empty looking bar.

"Don't be fooled." Damon told her. "This place will be crawling soon, trust me." he grinned.

"How do you know?" Elena asked looking confused.

"Because I spent most of the seventies here." Damon told her. "The Factory was too clean, CBGB's was too high-profile, but Billy's...Billy's was the underground of the underground." he bragged. "Although, admittedly my humanity was off at the time." he shrugged.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Why what?" Damon replied.

"Why was your humanity off?" she asked again.

"I thought we were here to have fun?" Damon raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to avoid answering the question.

"Fine." Elena sighed, making a mental note to ask him about him flipping his switch another time. "What's the other reason we're here, other than fun?" she asked.

"We're looking for Katherine." Damon replied.

"I know that." Elena frowned. "She comes here?" she asked looking confused, Elena couldn't imagine a world where Katherine would ever want to set foot in this place.

"That vampire that Katherine sent after Hayley was a friend of mine." he told her. "His name was Will. He got vampires fake identities, and I'm sure that Katherine was one of his clients." Damon explained.

"Right." Elena shrugged. "And?" she asked.

"He owned this place." Damon smiled as Elena nodded, a look of understanding began to appear on her face. "I remember Will having a customer who, with hindsight, fits Katherine alright. He told me she was a runner." Damon frowned. "Looks like I was helping her run from me." he shrugged.

"So what's the plan?" Elena asked, taking a swig from her bottle of beer.

"I'm going to search the office and see if I can find anything more current." he said.

"And you think there will be something more up to date than the seventies?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Well Katherine sent him to deal with Hayley, so they must have still been in touch." Damon suggested, as he drank some of his beer.

"You planning on looking through the records?" Elena asked.

"You planning on helping?" Damon replied.

"Of course." Elena grinned. "And after that?" she asked.

"I say we have some fun." Damon grinned.

"Here?" Elena asked confused. "What type of fun can we have here other than getting drunk and needing a shower afterwards." she grimaced.

"Other than the shower afterwards?" Damon smirked. "Well, it's early, you just need to be patient. Hedonism isn't a big fan of the sunlight." he added.

"Or soap." Elena said making a face of disgust.

"Easy, judgy." Damon said soothingly. "You won't be saying that tomorrow." he smiled as he picked up his bottle and nodded to Elena to do the same, before setting off towards a door on the far side of the room near the bar which had the word STAFF written on it.

"You sure we're allowed in here?" Elena whispered.

"Technically, due to my previous activities of helping Will, I think I'm allowed to call myself staff." Damon replied as they entered a dimly lit room full of boxes. "Fuck!" Damon swore. "Looks like Will was another 'pack rat'." he sighed. "Oh well, looks like we'll have to see if we can find a filing pattern which should lead us to Katherine." he suggested as he and Elena began to search through the boxes.

Half an hour later they were still looking but to no avail. They'd established that the boxes were set in birth date order which didn't help as neither of them knew when Katherine's birthday was.

"What about Stefan?" Elena asked.

"What about him?" Damon replied.

"Wouldn't he know when Katherine's birthday was?" she asked.

"Good call." Damon grinned. "And that is one of the many thousands of reasons that I love you." he added as he kissed her on the forehead before getting his phone out to call Stefan, who picked up after the fourth ring.

"Hey Stefan." Damon greeted his brother cheerfully. "How are things back in Mystic Falls?" he asked.

"Nothing to report so far, although Caroline mentioned that Bonnie wasn't in school today." Stefan told him.

"Have you started searching for her?" Damon asked as Elena frowned at him.

"Jeremy went round to her place, her dad said she was feeling a little run down after the trip and was in bed." he replied. "Jeremy looked through her window and she was in bed asleep." Stefan added.

"That doesn't sound like Bonnie." Elena said.

"It'll be fine. Caroline is going over to see her later." Stefan told them. "So, how's the search for the going?" he asked.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Damon explained.

"What do you need?" Stefan asked.

"Will had a repeat customer, five foot seven brunette. Said she was a runner." Damon told him.

"Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"Turns out I was helping her run from me. Ironic." Damon shrugged. "Problem is I'm pretty sure that this filing system goes by birth date, but I can't remember Katherine's." he said.

"June fifth, fourteen seventy three." Stefan told him.

"And that, brother, is why you are such a good catch." Damon said as he looked in another box. "Well, will you look at that?" he opened a folder "It's all her former addresses, including a couple from the last two months. They're mostly P.O. boxes, but hey, it narrows the search." he smiled.

"Well, you're welcome. So you headed back to Mystic Falls?" Stefan asked.

"I need to talk to Elena first." Damon said. "I was thinking we could extend our little road trip and start the search tomorrow, if Elena is up for it." he suggested as Elena looked over at him, nodding profusely.

"Just to let you know, Rebekah is heading off to New Orleans with Matt to search for information on the prophesy." Stefan told him.

"She's got a lead already?" Damon asked sounding surprised.

"They're going to try and find a group of witches Kol used to run with." Stefan told them. "It's why he was so clued up on them. Last Rebekah knew they were in New Orleans."

"And witches find New Orleans, they like to stay in New Orleans." Damon said.

"Yep. So hopefully we should have one way to destroy Silas even if we can't find the cure." Stefan said.

"I don't want to rely on some prophesy." Damon sighed. "They're not always legit." he said. "Sun and the moon curse ring any bells?" he asked.

"But that was meant to be a curse." Elena chimed in. "This is a prophesy. Does anyone know the difference between a prophesy and a curse?" she asked as Damon shook his head and no answer came from Stefan on the phone.

"So, do you actually have a plan to get the cure from Katherine?" Stefan asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah I've got a plan." Damon told him. "But I need to run it past Elena first." he added as Elena eyed him suspiciously. "Look brother, I'll let you know either way okay?"

"Fine." Stefan said. "Have fun." he finished as he hung up the phone and Elena folded her arms.

"Okay, spill." she demanded.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping." he suggested sheepishly, which only earned him a raised eyebrow. "Okay fine. It's just that I was thinking that if we were going to look for Katherine, it might be an idea if you are prepared to have to maybe pretend to be Katherine." he winced.

"Why?" Elena asked slowly.

"If people think you are Katherine, they might be inclined to spill their dirty little secrets." Damon squirmed, hating having to ask Elena to do the one thing he knew she'd hate. "It's only if it's necessary." he reassured her. "These P.O Boxes are in Samlltownsville Pennsylvania, where everybody knows everybody. You walking the streets looking like Katherine might attract a minion or two." he suggested. "Hopefully you won't have to, but it might be worth a shot."

Elena glared at Damon for a minute before sighing. "Fine" she said. "I can see how that it might be useful." she admitted. "But I've no idea how to act like a sassy bitch who likes to suck people dry." she stated.

"Ah, now here's the fun part." Damon smiled as he walked over to her, internally sighing with relief. "I think we need a little practice with the snatch eat erase, just in case you need it." he smiled.

"Here?" Elena asked as Damon nodded in response.

"This place will be crowded later." Damon explained. "I thought we could have a little more fun like we did at the frat party." he suggested. "Except this time there will be nobody here to judge you." he added as Elena looked at him thoughtfully. ""Look." he said. "When we went to Georgia, you let your hair down, you let you be yourself because you knew I'd never judge you." he told her. "I will love you no matter what you do. Good or bad." he smiled. "There's nothing wrong with letting your hair down once in a while. I know you hold back with your friends because you're scared that they'll judge you. But they're not here right now." Damon said seductively, waving his arms around the empty room. "I say, what happens in New York, stays in New York." he cocked his head, smiling.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Elena asked, a smile creeping up around her mouth.

"I'm suggesting feeding, fucking and and alcohol." he suggested. "In no particular order." he grinned.

"No killing." Elena demanded.

"Well that's the point." Damon grinned. "We're perfecting your snatch, eat, erase skills. And I have an interesting idea or two." he smirked.

"And the shopping?" Elena asked, wrapping her arms around Damon's neck.

"We'll do that later." he suggested, as he put arms around her waist. "Right after I've made you scream." he smiled dreamily as he gently kissed her on the lips, a kiss that changed very quickly from gentle to passionate as Damon picked Elena up by the waist and sat her on the nearby desk whilst Elena spread her legs and Damon stood between them.

"What if someone hears us?"Elena mumbled between kisses.

"So what? They'll get off on it." Damon smiled as his lips made his way down Elena's neck. "Let them listen and wish they were us, because we're so hot when we have sex, we could set this whole fucking building on fire." he whispered as he slipped his hand under Elena's skirt and up her thigh and between her legs, gently brushing her pussy. "God, you're so fucking wet already." he murmured huskily into Elena's ear.

"Your fault." Elena moaned, her fingers scraping up the back of Damon's scalp whilst he nipped and sucked her neck. "You turn me on just by touching me." she said, as Damon moved her panties to one side and began to gently massage her nub, causing Elena to moan once more with pleasure.

"I say we give anyone who listens a running commentary." Damon looked up at Elena with a wicked glint in his eye. "They'll hear us both when we come anyway." he smirked.

"You like the idea of everyone knowing what we're doing?" Elena asked as Damon continued his ministration.

"Everybody does it." Damon shrugged. "I just like to think we're better at it than everyone else." he said as he inserted a finger inside Elena's pussy, causing her to inhale sharply with pleasure.

"God I want you to fuck me Damon." Elena whispered seductively. "And I don't care who hears." she panted.

"I thought you'd never ask." he grinned as Elena yanked at Damon's belt buckle, before undoing the zipper of his jeans as they fell to the floor, pooling around his ankles. Elena stroked her hand up and down the outside of Damon's black boxer briefs, feeling the outline of his erection before sliding her hand inside and wrapping her fingers around his cock, wiping the tip with her thumb which was already weeping with pre-cum, earning her a moan of pleasure from Damon.

Elena sucked the pre-cum from her thumb. "Mhmm." she moaned as Damon's eyes turned, the vampire inside trying to push through. The look was only fleeting as Damon managed to control himself as he kissed Elena passionately, their tongues fighting for dominance until Damon pulled back and smiled a wicked grin.

"You're gonna pay for that little girl." he teased as Elena giggled, trying to wrap her legs around Damon's waist to pull him close to her so she could feel him inside of her, but Damon wasn't having any of that. With vamp speed, he pulled her off the desk, spun her around and had her bending over it. Damon lifted Elena's skirt and began stroking the cheeks of her ass. "These are in my way." he complained as he pulled Elena's panties down and she stepped out of them. "Legs wider apart!" he demanded as Elena widened her stance whilst Damon got to his knees.

Elena lay across the desk, not sure what Damon was going to do but the anticipation excited her, however she didn't have to wait long as she felt Damon run his tongue up the inside of her left thigh, stopping just short if her pussy causing her to groan in anticipation. "Patience." Damon whispered as he repeated the action up her right thigh as Elena stretched her arms out and grabbed hold of when the inevitable orgasm ripped through her body. Damon massaged the cheeks of her ass and pulled them apart as he blew into her entrance before his tongue followed.

"Fuck!" was all Elena could say as Damon began alternating between lapping her folds and tongue fucking her whilst he massaged her clit with his thumb.

"God you taste good." Damon mumbled as he continued his ministrations, working Elena up into a frenzy as he inserted two fingers inside of her and maneuvering himself around so that he was able to access her clit better with his mouth.

The moment he began to suck on the little bundle of nerves, Elena nearly went through the roof. The heat that had been pooling in her stomach had turned into red hot lava, which was threatening to erupt from her pussy. Damon must have sensed she was close as he inserted a third finger and began pumping faster until Elena couldn't take any more.

"Come for me." Damon mumbled in a husky voice which was enough to send Elena over the edge as the spasms hit her scorching hot pussy.

"Fuck...fuck...fuck...Damon." she moaned into the desk as Damon moved once more and replaced his fingers with his tongue prompting Elena to have to muffle her scream into the desk as she felt her eyes tingle and her fangs begin to elongate, catching her tongue on them and making it bleed, causing Damon to stop what he was doing and look up as Elena looked back to him, his features already changing at the scent of blood. Damon stood up as Elena pushed herself up resting her elbows on the desk, her back still to Damon. Damon leaned down and they managed to kiss, although somewhat awkwardly from the angle, but just enough to catch their lips with their fangs and draw blood from each others mouths, before their tongues mixed the droplets of blood together, them being able to taste their own unique combined taste which turned them both on even more.

"Take your top off." he demanded, pulling back out of the kiss, removing his own whilst Elena took hers off. Damon snapped her bra and pushed the straps off her shoulders, peppering kisses down her neck, before he slowly entered her. "God you're so fucking hot and wet." he growled as he began thrusting her from behind, whilst holding her hips.

Elena grabbed onto the desk even tighter as she lay her chest down flat against the leatherette desk top, whilst Damon swiped his tongue up the top of her spine, then ran his fangs back down a little, drawing blood, before he licked it off as she healed. The tiny scratches weren't painful to a vampire, in fact it was more of a tickling sensation, however the tangy smell of blood was igniting something inside of her. The raw primal vampire inside of her was screaming to get out, and as good as Damon fucking her from behind was, right in that moment it wasn't enough, and she knew that he'd be aware of it, hell he'd probably done it on purpose to get this reaction from her. Damon was never one to fight his vampire nature, and whilst there was nobody around to judge them, he wanted Elena to embrace hers, and Damon being the target was a safe option. She couldn't physically hurt him, and he'd been clear early on that whatever she did, he'd enjoy because she was the one doing it and she had free reign to do what she wanted with him. From the first time they'd been together, he'd submitted to her, and whenever he was dominant with her, it was by her allowing him to be, and she let him because it turned her on when he was.

On the other hand, Damon knew how to lead Elena into doing things she wouldn't have usually considered as normal sexual activities, especially the blood play. He could tell when she desired it, but she was sometimes a little shy to be the one to start it. They'd drank from each other several times, often to mimic situations or allow for quieter sex, or even for more intense sex. However the blood play from the bath had awoken an urge in Elena that she never knew she had before. Since becoming a vampire, Elena had only fed from Matt a couple of times and at the frat party. Everything else had come from blood bags, yet deep down there was a need inside her that was somewhat unfulfilled. After the blood play in the tub, Elena knew what was wrong. The urges had been getting stronger and the need to feed from the vein was becoming a thought that was beginning to consume her. Now in the heights of passion and sexual throes of desire, that need became stronger, and Damon had ignited it inside of her. 'Feeding, fucking and alcohol' is what he'd said, therefore Elena decided to take action.

Elena pushed Damon aside, grabbed his shoulders and forcefully pushed his naked body onto the chair next to the desk. His cock was standing to attention as Elena straddled over him and impaled herself on him as her eyes began to tingle, she threw her head back as Damon held onto her hips whilst she circled them around his cock. Damon's lips latched onto one of her nipples, causing her to moan loudly whilst his tongue swirled around her areola. Damon switched breasts giving Elena full view of his jugular, her fangs elongated and without a moments hesitation, her fangs pierced his neck, prompting him to moan with pleasure.

The combination of his sweet blood and the motion of Damon's cock thrusting inside her seemed to create the onset of an orgasm that threatened to consume her entire body. Elena placed a hand behind her on Damon's thigh to help her balance as she held out her wrist for Damon to bite, knowing that it would take her over the edge. Damon's fangs pierced her skin causing the heat that had been pooling in the pit of her stomach to spread throughout her veins as Damon sucked her pre-orgasm blood from her wrist. This time there was no fantasy, no thought sharing, it was pure unadulterated fucking, as Damon reached down between them and began massaging her clit. The nerve endings of her body were on fire as she felt her pussy begin to spasm, but the orgasm wasn't just restricted to her pussy, it was everywhere. Her body was shaking and all she could do was latch onto Damon for support. She wrapped the arm she'd been using to support her around him and pulled away from his neck.

"Fuck me Damon...don't stop...don't stop." she cried out as the orgasm continued to pulsate throughout her entire body.

"Elena...fuck!" Damon moaned, pulling away from her wrist as they pressed their foreheads together whilst their bodies were continuing to be ravaged by orgasms so powerful they both began to lose the power of coherent thought. However, the pure unadulterated fucking had suddenly changed into a pure and tender moment unlike any other they'd shared before. Their eyes, now returned to normal, were locked on each other, knowing they were experiencing each other's thoughts and feelings, as they both came simultaneously with equal fervor.

As the tremors in their bodies began to subside, they kissed and wrapped their arms around each other tenderly, as if the thought of letting go was a fate worse than death, before they collapsed into each other, temporarily exhausted from their activities.

"Is it me or do we just get better every time?" Damon asked grinning.

"Nope." Elena replied. "We just keep getting better and better." she smiled.

"Don't you think it's a little odd?" Damon asked. "I mean, I've never had such mind blowing sex before. It's like we were made for each other." he frowned as Elena pulled back and looked at Damon intently. It was a question she'd never wanted to ask him as she knew he'd been with a lot of women previously, and she'd be lying if she hadn't been curious to want to know where she ranked amongst his previous lovers, but his reveal that she was clearly at the top of the list, and by quite some margin, from the sounds of things surprised her, especially considering her lack of experience.

"Maybe we were?" she offered.

"You mean like pre-destined soulmates?" Damon suggested.

"Maybe?" Elena shrugged. "Although it does sound a little corny." she laughed.

"Normally I'd agree and say I don't believe in that kind of shit." Damon argued. "But something is different and I can't put my finger on it." he mused.

"Oh I disagree." Elena laughed. "You definitely know how to put your finger on it."

"You minx!" Damon grinned as he kissed her, however he soon pulled away and moaned. "We need to get going." he complained. "We need to get you some clothes and make-up to make you look like the she-devil." he shuddered.

"And I so wanted to get my hair cut." Elena complained. "Not short." she said immediately as Damon looked at her in surprise. "I just wanted a little bit of style added to it. A more adult look." she assured him. "Don't worry, I'll still be able to use a curling iron and make it look similar to her hair." her face screwed up in distaste, as she got up from the chair and began looking for her clothes. "Do you think anyone heard us?" Elena suddenly asked as they both began to get dressed.

"Probably only Manhattan" Damon smirked as they checked they'd got everything before walking out of the door and into the bar. The face of the bartender followed them in surprise and flushed red prompting Damon to grin. "We'll be back later." he told the bartender as they left the bar laughing.

Klaus hung up his cell phone after being told by Rebekah that Damon had killed the vampire looking for Hayley, who was stood with a drink in her hands, staring into the fireplace.

"My sister informs me that your vampire assailant is dead, so you're safe and free to go. Or stay." Klaus shrugged.

"I could be persuaded to stay, enjoy some of the good life." Hayley said after a moment's though. "And maybe I could drum up a few more of Katherine's secrets and you could do something for me." she smirked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, love, but you'll never convince me to let Tyler go free." Klaus sneered.

"Well, then, I guess I'll never get my chance with Tyler any more than you'll get a shot with Caroline." Hayley said casually, causing Klaus to turns and walk away, realizing that she had a valid point. "Do you wanna know why I like that painting?" she asked, in reference to one particular piece of artwork that he'd showed her earlier, prompting Klaus to stop and turn around to look at her.

"Well, perhaps it was because it allowed you to see into my deep, wounded soul." Klaus asked sarcastically, as Hayley slowly walked over to him.

"I saw how twisted it really is." Hayley said, biting her lip, with a wicked glint in her eyes. "And maybe I can relate." she added.

"So what's it gonna be? Going? Or staying?" Klaus asked, walking closer to her.

"You like to be in control. You tell me." Hayley offered, as Klaus brushed his hand against her cheek before grabbing her and pulling her towards him, prompting a knowing grin to erupt across her face. Klaus pulled Hayley into a passionate kiss, as she yanked Klaus's shirt over his head. Klaus vamp-sped her up onto the table where she quickly tore off her own shirt. Klaus then pushed Hayley down flat onto the table, and hovered above her momentarily, before her began to kiss her neck causing her to gasp and moan underneath him.

Stefan, Caroline and Jeremy had all gone to visit Bonnie, claiming they were worried about her after hearing from her dad that she was sick, especially as she'd been injured on the island. They were sat at the Bennett family dining room table discussing what had happened on the island as Stefan was going through the story they'd initially suspected about Professor Shane teaming up with Katherine, although they now suspected that Silas was responsible for Bonnie's escape from the cave.

Bonnie had decided to be a little liberal with the truth in trying to convince her friends of what needed to be done to raise Grams. She'd chosen to tell her friends that the spell in the hunters mark had told her what she needed to do instead of admitting that Silas himself had told her this, however Bonnie was having a little difficulty in convincing her friends that the sacrifice was needed.

"It's called an Expression triangle." Bonnie explained. "I need to complete it for Silas."

"What?" Caroline cried out in disbelief. "Are you out of your mind Bonnie?

"Bonnie, you can't kill twelve people." Jeremy shook his head.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only way to get enough power." Bonnie argued.

"To do what?" Caroline asked.

"Drop the veil between this side and the Other Side." Bonnie smiled.

"Drop the veil? What does that even mean?" Caroline asked.

"It means the myth about Silas being able to raise the dead is not just some of them, it's every supernatural being over there." Jeremy said aghast.

"Once the veil is dropped, the Other Side doesn't exist anymore. There's nothing separating us. We're all just one." Bonnie smiled dreamily as Stefan excused himself and walked outside to call Damon who answered almost immediately.

"Hello brother." Damon's voice rang out on the other end of his phone. "Any updates?" he asked.

"Yes!" Stefan told Damon. "I'm round at Bonnie's and I think something's wrong with her. Either she's possessed or she's going crazy." he said.

"Go on." Damon said.

"She's talking about killing twelve people." Stefan explained. "Something to do with the spell in the mark telling her to do it for Silas."

"Three massacres, three hot spots, and the witch spell of the century, and every supernatural being over there is back with a vengeance." Damon said. "This isn't the spell from the hunter's mark, Silas must have brainwashed her." he sighed. "Professor Shane told me about the third massacre."

"When are you coming back?" Stefan asked.

"The plan is to follow the lead and find Katherine and the cure." Damon told him. "Elena is on board with it, unless you need our help with Bonnie." he offered.

"No that's fine." Stefan sighed. "We need to get that cure and give it someone to take or destroy so that Silas won't drop the veil because he can't die."

"Fine." Damon replied. "But keep me posted." he added as Stefan hung up the phone and headed back into Bonnie's house to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"Bonnie, you are talking like a crazy person. You are not killing twelve people, and you sure as hell can't invite every monster who has ever died back into this world." Jeremy cried out.

"Jeremy, I think she knows that." Caroline told him.

"I can do it. I have the power. We can bring everyone back...Grams, Alaric, Vicki, Anna." Bonnie said as if she was no longer listening to them.

"Bonnie, stop it. You can't just say these things." Caroline said, almost on the verge of tears seeing her friend this way.

"It's gonna be fine..." Bonnie replied blankly, as Stefan ushered Caroline over to him.

"There's nothing we can do here." he said. "We might as well go home and come up with a plan." he suggested as Caroline nodded in response. They said there goodbye's although Jeremy stayed behind with Bonnie to try and talk some sense into her.

The next morning Caroline arrived at the Salvatore boarding house only to be shocked at what she saw. Empty glasses and bottles of whiskey, books lying on the table, and the hearth was unlit and needed to be cleaned.

"Stefan?" she called out, knowing she didn't need to, but force of habit meant she still did.

"Here." Stefan smiled as he came downstairs from where Caroline suspected his bedroom was.

"What's all of this?" she asked pointing to the mess.

"I was going to tidy it up." Stefan offered sheepishly.

"Seriously?" Caroline asked indignantly. "Damon has been gone what, thirty six hours and the place turns into a frat house." she complained. "Does Damon always clear up after you?" she asked as Stefan nodded in response. "So that answers the question of what reasonable purpose Damon Salvatore offers to the world, he's your maid." she complained to an embarrassed looking Stefan.

"Look, I'm going for a shower and then I'll tidy up." Stefan offered as Caroline folded her arms and glared at him. "I promise." he said as he rushed back up the stairs to shower.

Caroline sighed and began to tidy the glasses away. "If you need something doing, you better do it yourself." she muttered to herself as she came across a half empty glass and picked it up, before she was suddenly startled by someone behind her, coughing dramatically to gain her attention. Caroline turned around to see Klaus watching her from the top of the steps which led into the parlor.

"Desperate times, I take it?" Klaus raised an eyebrow smiling at her, whilst walking down the steps, holding his hands behind his back as Caroline turned away from him, still angry that Tyler had had to leave because of the creature, whom shouldn't have such an effect on her, but secretly he did.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked

"Not judging you, for starters, although if you are determined to get drunk, then perhaps I might recommend something a little more sanitary?" Klaus suggested as Caroline turned to look at him, she raised the glass to her lips, her eyes never leaving his and drained the glass, before refilling it.

"Well, then. You showed me." Klaus shrugged as Caroline drained another glass of whiskey before returning to her tidying.

"Shouldn't you be out chasing Tyler to the ends of the earth?" Caroline sneered. "Or are there still some hopes and dreams you wanna crush around here?"

"Depends. Do you happen to know where the young Brutus is?" Klaus asked innocently.

"I know where he's not... with me." Caroline choked back a sob." And he gave Matt the deed to the house, so he's gone for good." she added as Klaus just nodded and walked ever closer to her.

"Tyler made it his life's mission to kill me. You can't hate me for driving him away." Klaus said quietly.

"Oh I can, and I do. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to spiraling, so go away." Caroline snapped as they continued to stare at one another, however Stefan interrupted them as he entered the room.

"Actually, I asked him to be here." Stefan told her. "We need his help." he said before turning to Klaus. "I think Silas is in Mystic Falls." he warned, as Klaus began pouring himself a drink into a clean glass, before turning to talk to Caroline and Stefan.

"So some blood went missing from a few hospitals. What about Elena?" Klaus shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't new vampires tend to overindulge in human blood, or were you the exception?" he sneered looking at Stefan.

"It's not Elena." Stefan simply replied.

"Well, let's say for a moment that it was Silas. I'm struggling to see how this affects me." Klaus sighed.

"Look. Silas wants to die and be reunited with his one true love, but he's supernatural, so if he takes the cure and dies, he gets stuck on the Other Side." Stefan told him.

"How Shakespearean" Klaus groaned.

"But if he destroys the Other Side altogether, he can take the cure, die, and pass on, but in destroying it, every dead supernatural being will return to our side." Stefan warned..

"That means every werewolf, every witch, every vampire. I wonder how many of those you personally killed. Care yet?" Caroline added.

"My interest is piqued." Klaus smiled as he turned to Stefan. "How do we stop him?" he asked,

"Bonnie said Silas needs to complete three massacres to do this spell." Stefan began. "Before Professor Shane died, he convinced the pastor to blow up the Council. Next, he had you kill your hybrids, and now he only needs one more massacre, so if he's here, that's what he's doing. We need to find him." he explained.

Bonnie had invited Silas around to discuss the next phase in the plan for the massacre. She'd failed to convince her friends the previous night of her plans, so she needed a back up plan. However, before she went any further, Silas had finally explained the nature of the third massacre.

"You want me to kill witches?" Bonnie asked in shock.

"We've been over this. It's temporary. They'll come back." Silas promised.

"What if I'm not strong enough?" Bonnie frowned.

"You are strong enough. Look, it won't be easy. Once they realize how strong you are, they'll channel each other one by one using spirit magic till they can strip you of Expression." Silas reassured Bonnie. "You have to endure them until all twelve are linked as one." he told her, as they heard the door open and then close again.

"Listen, your dad's here. We have to convince him." Silas suggested quietly, getting up as Mayor Rudy Hopkins walked into the room.

"Hey. How was the session?" Rudy asked cheerfully.

"To be honest, not that great." Silas shook his head. "The meditation isn't really working. Her magic's too strong."

"You told me you could help her." Rudy frowned.

"Dad, it's... it's not his fault." Bonnie pleaded with her father.

"Not his fault?" Rudy cried out angrily. "He's the one who taught you this magic, and now he can't control it."

"Listen, we have an idea." Silas said, trying to appease Rudy.

"I'm done listening to your ideas. I want you to get out of my house." Rudy pointed towards the door.

"Dad!" Bonnie cried out.

"If we just call on the spirits..." Silas pleaded.

"I want you out of my house!" Rudy shouted at Silas.

"Wait!" Bonnie called out as her anger began to flare up as her magic suddenly caused the glass in the windows to implode into the room in tiny pieces, as her father and Silas both ducked to avoid being hit by flying shards of glass.

"What the hell is happening to her?" Rudy looked towards Silas in panic.

"This happened to my wife. Expression consumed her. She had no control." Silas explained in a panicked voice.

"I need you to call Mom." Bonnie told her dad. "We need witches, a lot of them." she said calmly.

  


 


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Whilst Elena was having her hair cut, Damon had decided to pay a visit to an old witch acquaintance of his. He wanted to see if she'd heard of Silas and if this prophesy idea was true, especially since they'd discovered the difference between a prophesy and a curse. The witch had been surprisingly helpful, she'd told him that part of the prophesy of raising Silas came with a way to destroy him. They would need to remove the magic Silas was currently channeling by breaking the bloodline from which he drew the power from. She'd given him a copy of the wording of the prophesy and told him not to speak to anyone about the possibility of Silas being raised, as there were witches who would seek to protect him. Safe in the knowledge that whatever information Rebekah would have, he would have an idea if she were holding anything back. The witch had also suggested that if a Bennett witch had come into contact with those who were suspected to be linked to the prophesy, the witch would have already made what was needed to break the bloodlines. But as his contact wasn't a Bennett witch, she didn't know what that would be as the knowledge was only ever handed down through the Bennett line.

Damon and Elena finally arrived back at Billy's the following night. Instead of feeding in the bar like they planned, after the shopping and Elena's new haircut, they decided to make use of being able to spend the night together in a bed without worrying what others thought, or if they could hear them. Not that Damon cared, but he knew Elena was uncomfortable with the idea if Stefan hearing them, therefore they got a little carried away making use of their alone time and forgot about going back to Billy's. Damon however, was determined to get Elena to feed from the vein once more. He needed to be safe in the knowledge that if she was stranded without him, she could look after herself.

The decision to feed at Billy's was an ingenious one. He had to make sure Elena was in her most deepest bloodlust, then he would try tempting her away. If she could stop during a frenzy, then the chances of Elena killing someone whilst feeding were slim. Not that Damon had an issue with killing whilst feeding, but Elena would be upset if she killed someone, and as much as he hated to admit it, Stefan had been right when he said there was a chance she'd switch off her humanity, despite the urge to kill being basic vampire nature. As much as flipping the switch could be fun, Damon knew from his own personal experience that it was hard to get it back once it was gone. He'd spent fifty one years without his and he'd done some heinous things during that period. Stuff that he could only deal with because he knew he'd had his humanity off at the time. It was a place he didn't want to go back to because it was lonely. Right now he had a life, he was happy with the most amazing woman in the world, there was no way he could let this go, and if Elena flipped her switch, her love for him would disappear with it, and Damon was determined to fight to keep it at all costs. This meant a twofold approach, prevent Elena from killing, and keeping her loved ones safe. That, as much as he hated to say it, also included the quarterback. He had no problems keeping Bonnie, Jeremy and even Caroline safe. He'd grown fond of Bonnie and Jeremy, and he was Caroline's sire, which, as much as they hated it, gave him a bond with her, even though Caroline was probably the safest vampire in town considering she already had Klaus practically whipped.

This brought them right back around to Billy's bar. He knew he could have done this back at the hotel, but it he also decided it might be a little more interesting to carry out his plan in the bar. Elena could pull away from Damon's blood during sex, but Damon was a vampire and vampire blood didn't have the same effect as when feeding on human blood.

Damon had asked for Elena to wear a black tank top and skirt for the evening. He hadn't elaborated as to why, but she suspected that the black was to hide blood, but she had no idea why a tank top and skirt, although it was the perfect attire for Billy's in early summer. She'd also opted for heavier make-up to practice her 'Katherine' look. Even though she'd decided that her make-up didn't need to be quite as heavy as her doppelganger's, just enough for people to think she was Katherine. The added bonus was that it made her look older, and Elena knew this was the type of make-up she was going to have to learn to do. Elena had already decided that at some point in the future, it would be an idea to study stage make-up and maybe even beauty therapy to learn aging tips so that she and Damon could settle in places for longer. It was an idea she was going to run past Caroline, once the whole Silas and cure business was out of the way, unless Bonnie could replicate the cure, because as Damon had discovered, there was a good chance this whole prophesy theory might actually be true, especially as he'd now got a copy of it.

When they arrived at Billy's it was already dark and the band were just getting ready to play as Damon and Elena made their way over to the bar and Damon ordered two beers.

"So what's the plan?" Elena asked as Damon handed a bottle over to her.

"We wait until the music starts, hit the dance floor and see who we can attract." Damon smiled. "However with you looking all hot with your new haircut, everyone in this bar is gonna be wanting to get close to you." he said, putting his arm around her waist and kissing her on the lips.

"You wouldn't be getting all jealous now would you?" Elena raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Would you have gotten jealous of a pizza when human?" Damon asked as Elena looked at him puzzled. "I don't get jealous of dinner." he said proudly as Elena tapped him on the arm and glared at him.

"Damon!" Elena gritted her teeth at him.

"What?" Damon asked in mock surprise. "It's just an observation." he joked.

"You're not funny." Elena complained as Damon pouted.

"But I thought that was one of the things you loved about me." he said acting offended, which earned him another glare. "Fine." he sighed, before he moved he mouth close to her ear. "I don't get jealous because I know that there's nobody in this bar that can make you feel the way I do." he said seductively as he ran his finger down Elena's spine, causing her to shiver with desire. "The question is...will you get jealous?" he smirked.

"No!" Elena said indignantly.

"And why not?" Damon asked smirking.

"Because I doubt you'd get the mind blowing sex we have from anyone else in this bar." Elena smirked.

"True." Damon smiled as he put his bottle of beer down on a nearby table as he moved so he was stood behind her, wrapping his arm around her midriff and pulling her so her back was flush to his chest, he leaned down and whispered into Elena's ear once more. "But I'm sure there are a few people here right now that could make that mind blowing sex even more...mind blowing."

Elena turned her head to look at him quizzically. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Do you trust me?" he replied.

"Usually." Elena frowned.

"Well then you have nothing to worry about." Damon smiled as the band started to make their way onto the stage.

Matt pulled the hire car up to what looked like an old run down plantation mansion on the outskirts of New Orleans. He and Rebekah had flown over and hired a car, but Rebekah had been reluctant to stay in New Orleans itself. Although Matt wasn't to bothered by a place that looked a little rundown, he was surprised that Rebekah would be okay with it.

"It'll be fine once you're inside." Rebekah reassured him after seeing the look of apprehension on Matt's face.

"Where are we?" Matt asked confused.

"This is Elijah's place." Rebekah smiled proudly. "Well one of them anyway." she added getting out of the car and walking up to the door and opening it with a key. "Come in." she said as she walked into the house. Matt looked around nervously before following, he didn't like that they weren't staying in New Orleans itself. He was stuck here with an Original vampire who was known to have a terrible temper. "Come on Matt." she called out. "I won't bite, I promise." she winked.

"Why here?" Matt asked as he walked through the door into the large dusty hallway.

"Many years, my brothers and I used to live in New Orleans." she told them. "We practically ran the French Quarter." Matt widened his eyes, taking in what Rebekah was telling him. "One of Nik's closest friends was a vampire called Marcel. My sources say that he's now running the French Quarter and that witches are banned from practicing magic." she told him.

"But that doesn't explain why we're staying here." Matt raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want Marcel to know I'm here." Rebekah told him. "It could...complicate matters." she explained as Matt suspected that something might have happened between Rebekah and this Marcel guy. "I need to try and go under the radar getting this information." she said. "They can't know that there is an Original vampire in town, it will send people on high alert." she added.

"I can go alone." Matt offered as Rebekah shook her head.

"It's not safe for you." she said. "Not all vampires are as friendly to humans as the ones you know." she smiled to a shocked Matt.

"I wouldn't call the vampires I know friendly." he frowned as Rebekah's cell rang.

"Hang on a moment, it's Nik." she said as she answered it. "Nik, are you checking up on me already?" she asked.

"Hello little sister." Klaus replied. "Of course I am. You know I worry about you." he said sarcastically.

"What do you want Nik?" Rebekah sighed.

"This prophesy, what makes you think it will work?" he asked.

"What he wants to know is what is the difference between a curse and a prophesy." Rebekah heard Stefan chime in. "Can you get your witch to explain it?" he asked.

"I don't need to." Rebekah frowned. "I can tell you myself." she said. "A curse is exactly what you know a curse to be. A prophesy is when the witches are unable to counterbalance the curse because their magic isn't strong enough to break it." she explained. "So instead, the witches ask the spirits for help them break the curse, and if the spirits agree, they will offer a prophesy."

"Like an antidote?" Rebekah heard Caroline's voice ask.

"I guess you could say that." Rebekah rolled her eyes at the crude analogy. "However, the prophesy is a one time occurrence. And as you don't know when it will happen, you have to watch out for the signs." she said. "Professor Shane said he suspected that the players might already be in place. How he knows this he didn't explain." Rebekah said, deciding to keep to herself the part about breaking the bloodlines.

"How do you know this?" Stefan asked.

"My mother was the Original witch." Rebekah sighed. "Meaning we were all witches, just never practicing ones." she explained. "We relinquished our magic when we became vampires. But it doesn't mean that I never listened to what our mother had to say when she was alive." she added.

"Well I'm glad someone did." Klaus admitted. "Fine Rebekah, that's all we need to know for now." he said.

"Before you go Nik." Rebekah stopped him. "You haven't heard from Elijah have you?" she asked.

"He's running a little errand for me." Klaus told her.

"Nik!" Rebekah exclaimed. "He was supposed to be helping me." she complained.

"Oh hush now Rebekah." Klaus told her condescendingly. "The witch already knows you are there. She'll be paying you a visit soon enough." he said.

"Good." Rebekah sighed. "I want to come home. This place is a dusty, and it needs renovating." she complained.

"Well unless we plan on moving back to New Orleans, which I very much doubt, I can't see that happening." Klaus told her. "Unless you fancy taking the place on."

"Get lost Nik!" Rebekah huffed hanging up the phone.

"That went well." Stefan said sarcastically as he looked at Klaus through the doom and gloom of Professor Shane's office.

After Bonnie had told them about the Expression triangle, Stefan, Caroline and Klaus decided to find out what Professor Shane had planned for Bonnie, and the first place to look was his office. They'd opted to search at night after everyone had left, in the hope that Silas hadn't already carried out his plans and they would be there in time to stop it.

"What are we even looking for?" Caroline asked.

"Well, if Shane really was working with Silas, chances are he was helping him plan his next move." Stefan told her.

"Where, on his evil villain to-do list? 'Steal blood, perform three massacres, pick up dry cleaning'?" Caroline said sarcastically.

"Actually, not to nit-pick, but we evil villains usually use minions to pick up our dry cleaning, that sort of thing." Klaus corrected her, his tone of voice deadly serious.

"Why is he necessary again?" Caroline asked Stefan.

"Well, we don't know what Silas can do, so if we do have to go head to head with him, an Original hybrid who can't die might come in handy." Stefan explained.

"Besides, Stefan and I work well together, or at least we did in the twenties." Klaus smirked.

"Well, granted my emotions were off." Stefan admitted.

"And that's why you were more fun, just as Damon is probably leading Elena's down a dark and dangerous path in New York." Klaus sneered.

"My brother knows what he's doing." Stefan

"Does he? Don't underestimate the allure of darkness, Stefan. Even the purest hearts are drawn to it." Klaus said, swiping a glance at Caroline, who looked up at him from her search. "Still, I'm sure it'll all be fine." Klaus smiled.

"I...I think I found something." Caroline suddenly declared as she carried a large book over to the desk. ""Symbolic Figures in the Dark Arts." Didn't Bonnie talk about Expression Triangles?" she asked. "Here." she said pointing at a large, intricate drawing of a triangle, as Stefan read from the page opposite.

""In some schools of magic such as Expression, human sacrifice can be used as a focus for power. It is rumored that the addition of two supernatural sacrifices compounds the mystical energy, creating an Expression Triangle."" Stefan read out loud.

"Humans...that was the council fire." Caroline said pointing at some of the symbols before pointing at another symbol. "Demons...Klaus' hybrid failure." she added.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a failure." Klaus chimed in. "What's the third?" he asked.

"Oh, no." Caroline clasped her hands and brought them to her mouth in shock. "Witches." she whispered.

"I'm going to find out where Bonnie is." Stefan said as he walked out of the room with his phone in hand. "You two start trying to work out where this massacre is." he added, closing the door behind him leaving Caroline and Klaus alone in the office, poring over a map of Mystic Falls they had found in Professor Shane's desk. Caroline, found a ruler and a pen, and began drawing lines on the map.

"There have been two massacres." Caroline explained. "Pastor Young's farm is here, and the old Lockwood cellar, where you spitefully slaughtered twelve of your own hybrids, is here." she said glaring at Klaus before drawing a line connecting the two locations. "According to the book, the Expression Triangle is equilateral, putting it here." she said as she drew the rest of the triangle on the map.

"Somebody's been skipping their geometry classes." Klaus smirked causing Caroline to frown as Klaus took the ruler and pen from her. "There are actually two places where the third massacre could be." he said as he drew two more lines, forming another triangle opposite of Caroline's.

"Well, you didn't let me finish." Caroline smiled sarcastically as they continued to look at each other across the desk when the door opened and Stefan walked back in catching the attention of Klaus and Caroline.

"Hey. What's going on? Did you find Bonnie?" Caroline asked, welcoming the interruption, the air had become thick with sexual tension between her and Klaus.

"No, but I talked to her dad. I think I found Silas." Stefan smiled.

Bonnie had arranged through her mother, to meet the witches in the woods, exactly where Silas had told her to. When she got to the meeting point, she saw a woman already standing in the moonlight in the clearing, a pentagram already etched into the ground.

"Is it just you?" Bonnie asked as the woman turns around.

"This place wasn't easy to find." the witch said.

"Figured you wouldn't want to draw attention." Bonnie lied.

"It'll work. I'm Aja." Aja the witch introduced herself.

"You friends with my mom?" Bonnie asked.

Aja smiled "I was." she said. "After she became a vampire, we didn't have a whole lot in common." she sighed.

"So she's not coming." Bonnie asked, hoping her mom wasn't going to be involved.

"This is witch business." Aja explained. "Look, I know you're scared, but I've dealt with Expression before. I know the hold it can have on you." she told her.

"It's not that. I'm just...I'm strong. You won't be able to do this alone." Bonnie said nervously.

"Oh, honey, who said anything about being alone?" Aja smiled as suddenly some more witches began emerging from the forest into the clearing and surrounded them in a circle.

"There's almost nothing as strong as a full coven, so I brought eleven of my closest friends. Won't be fun, but we're gonna cleanse you." Aja explained. You ready?" she asked,

Bonnie nodded. "Let's do this." she said as she lay on her back in the center of a pentagram on the ground, unlit torches surrounded the pentagram and the circle of witches whilst Aja is crouched over Bonnie.

"Call out to the spirits, Bonnie. Let them in." Aja called out as she placed her hands on the sides of Bonnie's head, as Bonnie took a deep breath and began to chant.

Phesmatos tribum- aah!" Bonnie cried as her body began to jerk painfully. "I can't. It's hurting. It hurts! Oh!" she screamed.

"It's because you've rejected the spirits." Aja told her as Bonnie whimpered. "The Expression's consumed you. Phesmatos tribum nas ex viras..."

"I changed my mind." Bonnie said in a small voice.

"Purgal animum sous..." Aja ignored her and continued chanting.

"I don't wanna do this anymore!" Bonnie said louder.

"Obscarus!" Aja continued.

"Let me go!" Bonnie cried out.

"She's fighting." Aja told the other witches. "I need help. Link with me. Lend me your power." she asked as the others knelt to the ground and began chanting with Aja.

"Phesmatos repallus tantian..." the witches chanted in unison, as Bonnie screamed in pain, whilst the torches forming the circle around them began to flare brightly. "Maltuscanum anium par vas." they chanted as Bonnie's eyes flew open, her iris and pupils disappeared just leaving behind whites of her eyes.

"We need more strength!" Aja demanded.

"Phesmatos repallus tantian maltuscanum anium par vas." the witches carried on chanting as Bonnie continued to shout in pain.

Stefan, Caroline and Klaus had decided to split the search for Bonnie. Caroline didn't like the idea of going through the woods alone in the presence of lots of witches, and as she didn't trust Klaus to not hurt Bonnie, she'd decided to accompany him to one of the points and let Stefan check out the other possible location point they'd found. The woods were dark, and even with vampire sight, the map was impossible to read, meaning Klaus had to use his phone as a torch.

"I just want to see where we are." Caroline insisted.

"You know, when we split up you did have the option of going with Stefan." Klaus offered.

"Yeah? And leave Bonnie's life in your hands?" Caroline said. "Fat chance. Do you even know how to read a map?" she asked.

"Yes, and do you know who taught me? My friend Magellan." Klaus bragged as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Wow! You had a friend." Caroline said sarcastically, not knowing the significance of Klaus telling her he had been taught map reading by the first man to circumnavigate the earth. "Was he drawn to your darkness, too?" she asked.

"Actually, I was referring to Damon and Elena when I said that, but clearly it struck a chord with you." Klaus smirked.

"It's because it's not true! There is no allure to darkness." Caroline huffed as Klaus stopped and turned around to face her.

"Really?" Klaus asked, not believing her. "So you've never felt the attraction that comes when someone who's capable of doing terrible things for some reason cares only about you?" he whispered.

"I did once, when I thought he was worth it." Caroline admitted, catching Klaus's interest. "But it turns out some people can't be fixed. People who do terrible things are just terrible people." she added sadly as Klaus merely looked at her, stoney-faced.

"We're here, although judging by the lack of witches, here is not the correct location." Klaus sighed, pretending the conversation had never happened.

The torches continued to burn bright around the witches' circle, where Bonnie was still lying on the ground, struggling against Aja and screaming. Her eyes are still white however her nose was now bleeding.

"Yield to the spirits, Bonnie! You can't fight us!" Aja cried out as Stefan vamp-sped into the circle.

"Stop! It's not what you think." Stefan called out to Aja.

"This is no place for a vampire." Aja said angrily.

"She's working for Silas." Stefan told them.

"Silas?" Aja said in shock as she looked at the rest of her coven.

"He brainwashed her to kill you." Stefan explained as Bonnie began whimpering on the ground. Suddenly Aja pulled out a dagger.

"Wait. What are you doing?" Stefan cried in shock.

"If Silas has her, she's lost. We can't save her." Aja told him calmly.

"Wait." Stefan pleaded as he moves toward Bonnie but Aja threw out her arm and using her magic to weaken Stefan, as he grabbed at his head and staggered backwards to his knees.

"I have the power of twelve witches. You don't stand a chance!" Aja sneered, as Stefan vamp-sped away from the circle, to escape the magic, backing into a tree, he groaned in pain, whilst the witches resumed chanting, just as Klaus and Caroline found Stefan.

"They're linked. Bonnie's gonna kill them." Stefan explained.

"Not if the witches kill her first." Klaus said as Klaus slammed Stefan up against a tree to stop him from trying to help Bonnie.

"Klaus, we need to save her." Caroline begged.

"How?" Klaus asked. "The only way to stop the witches is to kill them, and then Silas gets what he wants." he told her as they heard the chanting start up again.

"Spirits, take her soul. Free her from darkness." Aja cried out, holding the dagger over Bonnie as Bonnie screamed in pain. Not being able to take anymore of the sight of her friend in so much pain, Caroline vamp-sped into the circle and pulled the dagger into Aja's chest, killing her immediately.

"No!" Klaus shouted out as Caroline watched as the witches in the circle begin to drop down dead and the torches' flames burn out. Caroline looked around at the carnage, shocked by what she'd done, until remembers why she did it.

Caroline approach her friend. "Bonnie. Bonnie!" she cried as Bonnie opened her eyes which were still white.

"The triangle is complete." Bonnie said and eerie smile on her face.

The band had been on set for around twenty minutes and the dance floor was now pretty full with revelers dancing and getting either drunk of high. Damon's tactic was for Elena to scour the surrounding people and see if anyone caught her eye, then catch the attention of their prey and flirt with the person in question, exactly the way they'd done at the frat party. Soon a twenty-something blonde haired girl, wearing a black tank top and heavy make-up began dancing with Elena.

"Perfect." Damon said, so that only Elena could hear over the music. "Nobody will see the blood." he commented.

"Come with me." Elena compelled the girl to follow her to a dark corridor as Damon walked behind them. Elena pushed the girl up against the wall. "Don't scream." she told her. "It won't hurt, in fact you are going to like it." she added, pushing the woman's hair out of the way, as her eyes began to tickle and her fangs elongated before biting into the girl's neck and the sweet taste of human blood, warm and straight from the vein hit her mouth, causing her to desperately want to drink harder and faster.

"Gently. Feeding with finesse is more fun." Damon said from behind. "Only take in small amounts, keep the feed to last as long as you can." he encouraged her as the woman moaned with pleasure. Elena then felt Damon wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

Suddenly Elena felt Damon's fangs pierced her own neck, almost distracting her from feeding, yet at the same time making her wanting to feed harder as it was turning her on. Elena knew why Damon was doing this, he wanted to push her to her limits of frenzied desire, to try and send her out of control whilst still feeding to see if she could still stop. He'd promised that he'd pull her away if she refused to stop and now she knew why. Sexual desire and feeding were closely linked and a very turned on vampire feeding was more likely to kill their prey if they couldn't control themselves. Elena was now even more aware than before of the manifestation of sexual desire and feeding, especially as Damon was pulling her waist into him, she could feel the hard bulge in his jeans as he pressed up against her, thus turning her on even more. Suddenly she felt Damon's hand slip up the inside of her thigh as he pushed her panties to one side and began massaging her clit.

Elena tried to calm herself down, if she wasn't careful she'd drink too much and she'd kill the girl, but the sensation of the girl's delicious blood warming Elena's veins, right down to her pussy, combined with the sensation of Damon drinking from her, which was also manifesting itself in her pussy and Damon massaging her clit was too much. She needed more blood to keep the sensation, she'd never known such bliss, there was a clarity in her head that she'd never felt before. She also felt stronger, more powerful than she usually did. Every nerve in her body was more sensitive, all from the blood of this girl. However, Elena realized that this was a blood high and if she killed the girl she'd regret it. There was more blood on the dance floor, so she pulled away and looked at the girl in the eyes.

"What do you do?" Elena asked the girl.

"I'm training to be a teacher." the girl replied.

"You are going to leave this bar, concentrate on your studies, and make sure you get the best grades, and be the best teacher. You won't go round bars or clubs alone again. You will forget that this ever happened." Elena compelled her.

"I'm going to leave, study hard, graduate and be the best teacher. I will never go to bars or clubs alone again. I will forget this happened." the girl replied blankly as Elena saw Damon bite his wrist and put it to the girl's mouth.

"Drink this and forget about it." he told her as the girl drank his blood before leaving.

"How did I do?" Elena asked as she turned to Damon, however she was stopped in her tracks when she saw the blood on his face, her insides once again became hot with desire and her eyes began to tingle and her fangs elongated.

"Bathroom!" Damon commanded as Elena frowned, holding herself back from pouncing on him.

"Why?" she asked seductively. "I want to lick it off instead." she smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Damon grinned wickedly. "But I've got an idea and the bathroom is the perfect place for us to go to carry it out." he added as he pulled her to a door indicating it was the ladies room.

As it was still fairly early and the band was still playing, the ladies room was empty, so Damon checked the cubicles and found the one that looked the cleanest and pushed Elena inside.

"In here?"Elena asked wide eyed.

"Kind of." Damon replied. "But right now we are waiting." he added.

"What for?" Elena asked frowning.

"Dessert." he whispered as he slowly licked the excess blood from around Elena's mouth, chin and neck, which she'd gotten from whilst feeding from the blonde girl. After he'd cleaned her up, Elena returned the favor or licking her own blood from his face until it was almost clean and they began to kiss. The last remnants of blood mixing in their mouths, turning up their desire.

Their privacy was suddenly disturbed as the bathroom door opened and they heard the voices of two girls talking enter the bathroom, prompting a huge grin to spread over Damon's face. He quickly left the cubicle and locked the main bathroom door so the girls couldn't escape.

"Shut up, don't scream, don't run. We're not going to hurt you." Damon compelled them as they shut up. "I want you to go into the cubicles, do whatever you wanted to do in here, and then wait until I say you can both come out." he instructed them. "No talking, and when you come out, make sure you thoroughly wash your hands." he added with a glint in his eyes as the girls headed inside the cubicles.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked in surprise as Damon suddenly picked her up and sat her on the vanity stand.

"The ultimate test of control." Damon smirked as he opened Elena's legs and stood between them. "But we don't have long." he warned her as he kissed her forcefully and Elena kissed him back with equal passion. The blood from earlier had set her body on fire and she suspected that the girls in the cubicles were next on the menu, a thought that caused her gums to itch with desire as her fangs threatened to elongate, but she knew she had to wait.

Damon got down on his knees and ripped Elena's black lace panties off, stuffing them in his back pocket as he hitched her skirt up and parted her legs. He licked his finger and ran it down her folds, separating them, before followed suit with his tongue.

"Fuck...you taste good." he murmured as he began to massage Elena's clit with his thumb whilst his tongue focused on her entrance and labia for a little longer before he changed tactics and inserted two fingers. "God you're wet." he said huskily as he began pumping her with his fingers and he sucked on Elena's clit with his mouth.

"Oh my god...yes...yes...yes..." Elena moaned as the heat began to pool in her stomach, somewhat heightened by the fresh blood from the vein. Her head was spinning from the blood high whilst her body felt like it was on fire from Damon's actions. "Fuck...Damon...I'm gonna come..." she cried out as suddenly the orgasm ripped through her body causing her to cry out in pleasure. She arched her back and squeezed Damon's head between her thighs as her body first went rigid and then began to shake as the white hot spasms convulsed through her pussy.

Slowly, Elena's body began to calm down as Damon stood up and kissed her. "Tasty." he grinned as he raised his eyebrows and kissed her again. Deciding that she'd had enough of foreplay and wanted the main course, Elena hurriedly unfastened Damon's belt before pulling it off and tugging on his buttons and zipper, to allow his jeans to pool around his ankles as Elena stroked his hard cock through his boxer briefs.

"I want you to fuck me Damon." Elena growled, not caring anymore who saw or heard. At that moment only one thing mattered, and that was having Damon inside of her. Elena pushed Damon's boxer briefs away from his hips as he helped, before kicking his boots off and stepping out of his jeans. Elena pulled his t-shirt over his head and began to kiss his chest, but Damon nudged her so he could remove hers, leaving her clad in just her black lacy bra.

"You'll do." he winked as he wrapped Elena's legs around his waist and slowly pushed himself inside of her, filling her completely, causing her to sigh with pleasure, when suddenly he moved them at vamp-speed, as Elena found she had her back pressed up against the cold tiles, as Damon began thrusting..

This time Damon was more forceful than usual, but not rougher. Because Elena had had human blood from the vein, she was stronger than she usually was, and Damon hadn't fed from the vein for a while so for once her strength was closer to his, allowing him to use more of his vampire strength. Elena moved her hips in unison with his, creating a delicious friction, igniting her pussy once more.

"Come out and wash hands." Damon commanded to the girls who Elena had completely forgotten about in the cubicles. As they approached the vanity stand, their faces were flush red from what they'd heard and from what they could see Damon and Elena were doing. "Once you've washed them, come here and hold out your wrists." he demanded as Elena realized what his plan was, although she wasn't completely shocked. His plan was devious and kinky, but right now Elena was at her weakest and if she wasn't going to be able to stop, this would be when it would happen. If she could feed whilst Damon was fucking her without draining her girl dry, then she would be safe in the knowledge that she had super control over her bloodlust.

The girls walked over to them after they'd washed and dried their hands whilst she and Damon continued fucking passionately, which Elena had to admit was weird and kinky to have someone seeing them in the act, until a sudden burst of jealousy broke through her like she'd never felt before. These women were seeing Damon naked and she didn't like it.

"You don't look at him." she managed to say between moans to the girls earning her a small smile from Damon who kissed her. The girls held out their wrists as Elena's eyes tingled and her fangs elongated as she bit into the wrist of one girl whilst Damon bit into the wrist of the other.

The moment the blood hit her mouth, everything changed, all that mattered was Damon and blood, nothing else and in that particular order. The blood made her feel like she could do anything, her nerves were on fire, every sensation in her body was even more heightened, including how hot her pussy was from Damon's thrusting. The girls kept their wrists at Damon and Elena's mouths, whilst they just stared at each other, their bodies joined as one. Elena realized that her orgasm was getting closer and as it got closer, the more she wanted to drink, but she knew she had to stop, so she let the girls wrist drop.

"Back to the cubicle!" she panted as Damon instructed his girl to do the same. Elena took one look at Damon, who's face had droplets of blood at the corner of his mouth and kissed him passionately as he slid his hand between them and began massaging Elena's clit.

"Yes...yes...yes..more..." Elena cried out as Damon thrust harder and she grabbed hold of Damon tightly as she knew she was going to come.

"I'm not going to hold much longer." Damon panted as they kissed once more when Elena's orgasm hit her with a force that could only be likened to a freight train. Her back arched away from the tiles as the spasms ripped through her body, as her body went rigid and she pushed herself back into the wall to feel Damon deeper inside of her. Elena thought she heard a cracking noise but paid it no attention. She dug her fingernails into Damon's shoulders and raked her nails down his back, the smell of his blood hitting her senses forcing her eyes to tingle once again, but she managed to keep it under control as her orgasm milked Damon's cock prompting him to spill his seed inside her.

"Elena...fuck!" he cried out, scrunching up his face as his body shuddered with the force of his own orgasm, until they both began to come down from their sexual high and Damon's head dropped into the crook of Elena's neck.

"That was..." Elena started.

"Interesting." Damon interrupted as he looked up at her grinning.

"What?" Elena asked frowning.

"You're hot when you're jealous." he winked and gave her a peck on the lips as she dropped her legs and tapped him playfully on the arm.

"Damon!" she huffed as they both began to put their clothes on at vamp-speed.

"Don't say that wasn't fun." he chuckled.

"I never said it wasn't." Elena said. "I just don't like other women seeing you naked." she said.

"Well then our little experiment worked." Damon announced smugly. "Even with a combination of sexual high and jealousy, you could pull away from the feed." he grinned.

"Did you plan on the jealousy bit?" Elena raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"Hell no." Damon said. "I never saw that coming." he said in a way which made Elena suspect he was telling the truth.

"You can come out now." Elena called out as the two girls walked back out of the cubicles, only looking at Elena. "You will both leave and forget that this ever happened." she compelled them as they left the bathroom as she noticed the tiles around the area where she and Damon had been were cracked which raised a wry smile on her face.

"What no friendly words for the future?" Damon asked in surprise.

"They should have kept their eyes away from you." Elena folded her arms as Damon's phone rang. Damon took it from his jacket pocket and Stefan's name showed on the screen, so Damon answered it.

"What's up brother?" Damon asked.

"Have you started looking for Katherine yet?" Stefan asked.

"We were going to leave tomorrow morning. I wanted to get some other information first." Damon told him. "Why?" he asked.

"I didn't stop the massacre." Stefan told him hesitantly.

"Oh." Damon replied, as he and Elena exchanged worried glances. "Guess Silas has everything he needs." he sighed.

"Everything but the cure." Stefan said.

"I guess that means we're setting off tonight then." Damon shrugged as he looked up at Elena who nodded sadly.

"You need any help?" Stefan asked.

"No we're fine." Damon replied. "You look after Bonnie, I'll call you from Pennsylvania." he added before hanging up. "You ready?" he asked as he held out his hand for Elena, who took it.

"Let's get Katherine." she replied as they left the bathroom and headed out of the bar, and off to find Katherine and the cure.

  


 


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Matt and Rebekah were waiting patiently in the plantation house for the witch Elijah had put them in contact with, who was due to arrive any moment. They'd opened the blinds and windows, and removed the dust covers from the chairs.

"What do you think we're going to find out?" Matt asked.

"I didn't tell Damon everything Professor Shane told me." Rebekah admitted. "I wanted to hold some information as leverage. But I'm hoping that the prophesy is true and we can destroy Silas without using the cure." she said. "And here is our witch now." she smiled and got up as Matt realized her vampire hearing had picked up the sound of the witch's car before he could.

Rebekah went to the door and invited the witch in who came and joined them in the parlor and sat down. She looked nervous and kept glancing around, as if someone was going to jump out on her at any moment.

"It's alright." Rebekah assured her. "I won't bite." she smiled.

"You're not the one I'm afraid of." the witch replied. "I'm scared they might follow me here." she added.

"Who might?" Rebekah asked.

"The Travelers." was all the woman would tell them as Rebekah and Matt looked at each frowning.

"What's your name?" Matt asked plastering a fake smile on his face as he tried to distract the terrified woman.

"Damaris." she replied curtly.

"If you're so scared, then why did you come?" Matt asked.

"You have to know." Damaris warned them.

"Have to know what?" Rebekah frowned.

"You're asking about Silas right?" Damaris asked as Rebekah and Matt nodded. "They've been waiting for this moment. For someone to ask questions." she said.

"Who are?" Matt asked.

"The Travelers." Damaris replied. "They're the coven of witches who worship Silas." she said. "They disappeared around two weeks ago. Nobody has seen or heard from them since." she told them.

"What do they want?" Rebekah asked.

"They want Silas to wake so they can have their magic back." Damaris told them. "He currently channels it through the bloodlines. They need him to wake and die to get their magic back. They can't let the prophesy be fulfilled." she said. "If the prophesy is fulfilled, the Travelers will have no magic left."

"How do you know all of this?" Matt asked.

"I was one of the Travelers." Damaris explained.

"Was?" Matt asked as Damaris nodded.

"The thought of Silas awakening frightened me. I refused to play a part in making sure the prophesy remained unfulfilled." Damaris told them. "I left and joined another coven of witches. A weaker coven, but at least I wouldn't lose my magic." she shrugged.

"Do the Travelers still have access to any magic?" Rebekah asked.

"A little." Damaris admitted. "But once Silas dies, they will be extremely powerful. If he dies by lowering the veil and taking the cure, then the prophesy will forever remain unfulfilled, and the Travelers will be powerful once again." she told them.

"So if we don't use the cure, the prophesy has to be fulfilled to kill Silas?" Matt asked, as Damaris nodded.

"The messenger must either temporarily die or lower the veil to cross to the other side and meet with Qetsiyah." Damaris told them. "She will tell them how to destroy Silas." she said.

"And how are we to know who this messenger is?" Rebekah asked.

"The fact that you are here asking questions means you already know." Damaris replied as Rebekah and Matt gave each other a puzzled look.

"What is this prophesy?" Rebekah demanded.

"You do not need to know the words. The Travelers are too close, and you knowing too much whilst here would be too dangerous. People would know questions are being asked." Damaris told them. "All you need to know is that the key players are now in place and the magical bloodlines must be stopped."

"What are the bloodlines:?" Matt asked.

"They were a way to create shadow-selves to counteract the immortality spell." Damaris explained. "The shadow-selves are born of a certain bloodlines, these bloodlines must be destroyed."

"Well that's easy, we just kill them." Rebekah smirked, but Damaris shook her head.

"As soon as the key players were in place to raise Silas, the Travelers combined their magic to put a spell on them to make the carriers of the bloodlines indestructible." Damaris sighed. "You can't kill them. The messenger must see Qetsiyah, it is the only way." she told them.

"How do we know who the messenger is?" Matt asked again.

"The one who opened the tomb is also the messenger. I can't tell you any more." Damaris sighed as she smiled sadly. "Look, I have to go." she said. "If anyone finds out that I've been talking to you, the Travelers will follow you and try to stop you." she warned them. "My advice is leave now, nobody can know that you've been here or that we met."

"I agree." Rebekah said as she vamp-sped over to the witch and snapped her neck right in front of a stunned looking Matt.

"What did you do that for?" Matt cried out.

"To make sure nobody knows we were asking questions." Rebekah shrugged. "I guess we need to get rid of her body." she said nonchalantly.

"I'll leave that to you." Matt frowned, no longer wanting to participate in the search for the prophesy. As far as he was concerned the sooner he got back to Mystic Falls, the better.

The roof of the Camaro was down and it the sun was shining as Damon and Elena passed a sign saying 'Willoughby 2 miles'.

"That's us." Damon said sliding a glance towards Elena who looked up from the text on her her phone. "Who was that?" he asked, noticing her worried expression.

"It was Matt." she told him. "They saw their witch in New Orleans, him and Rebekah are now on their way back to Mystic Falls." she said.

"Great." Damon smiled. "I take it they got what we wanted." he asked.

"I'm not so sure." Elena frowned. "He said they're chartering a private plane. They thought someone was following them." she said.

"Private jet huh? Fancy." Damon grinned. "Why would they be followed?" he asked, suddenly frowning.

"Apparently the witch they spoke to, was worried about questions being asked and warned them that Silas's witches might follow them to stop the prophesy from happening." she shrugged.

"That's weird." Damon frowned. "The witch in New York was worried about the same thing." he said checking the mirror. "You know what else is weird?" he asked.

"What?" Elena replied.

"I'm sure that car has been following us for like the last fifty miles." he narrowed his eyes as Elena looked behind to see a blacked out Ford Escape behind them.

"And maybe they're also going to Willoughby." Elena suggested as they drove passed a sign saying 'Welcome to Willoughby Pennsylvania'. "Well, here we are." she said looking unimpressed as Damon turned left leaving the car behind them to continue going straight on.

"Hmm, looks like they weren't following us after all." he shrugged as he started to take in his surroundings. "This place doesn't seem very...Katherine." Damon frowned. "It's too small."

"Well Mystic Falls isn't exactly a sprawling metropolis." Elena laughed. "Maybe she's a small town girl at heart." she suggested as Damon shook his head.

"Not a chance. It's probably more convenient and out of the way." he said as he pulled the car up into a parking lot next to a building with 'United States Post Office Willoughby Pennsylvania' written on the front. "If it's a P.O Box, this is the best place to start." Damon said before turning to look at Elena. "You ready?" he asked as Elena grimaced.

"Time to become a psychotic bitch." Elena groaned as she stepped out to the car wearing shoes that were perfectly Katherine, but not suitable for walking in as Elena tripped and fell when she got out of the car.

"Katherine? Are you okay?" she heard Damon ask as she whipped her head around thinking that he must have already found her bitchy doppelgänger, however her heart sank when she realized he was talking to her and having to pretend she was Katherine as other people were around. The thought that anyone who saw her fall might think it was Katherine instead brought a wry smile to Elena's face. It wasn't much, but a little Katherine humiliation was never a bad thing, which made Elena realize that pretending to be Katherine might not be all that bad after all.

"You alright there Miss Pierce?" Elena heard an unfamiliar male voice ask as she looked up and saw a man who was dressed in a Post Office uniform looking down at her.

"I...I think so." Elena muttered, getting up then realizing it was time to put on her best Katherine impersonation. "It was nice of you to ask..." Elena looked at the name badge on the man's uniform. "...Mark." she smiled sweetly brushing herself down before returning to look him in the eyes. "Have I had any post today?" she asked.

"The package you were waiting for arrived for you today Miss Pierce." Mark told her as he began to rummage around in his pockets until he pulled out a key. "Here's your house key." he said handing it to Elena who took it from him and looked at him intently. "I left the package exactly where you told me to leave it." he smiled proudly.

"And where was that?" Elena compelled him.

"Where was what?" Mark asked.

"Where in my house did you leave the package?" Elena compelled him again.

"Right where you told me to leave it." Mark smiled as Elena rolled her eyes.

"Where in my house did I tell you to leave my package?" Elena asked, frustration growing in her voice.

"I...I don't know?" Mark replied frowning.

"He's been compelled to forget." Damon said as he sidled up to Elena. "We'll have to look for it ourselves." he grimaced before turning back to Mark. "Where does Katherine live?" he asked.

"Who's Katherine?" Mark answered looking confused.

"Miss Pierce." Damon explained. "Where does Miss Pierce live?"

"Who's Miss Pierce?" Mark asked confused.

"Not only has she compelled him to forget where he put the package, she compelled him to forget all about her unless she's talking to him herself." Damon groaned. "I'll leave it to you." he sighed, walking back around the car and climbing into the drivers seat.

"Where do I live?" Elena asked.

"2174 Chestnut Street." he replied.

"Thank you Mark." Elena smiled. "Go back to the office and forget about this conversation." she compelled him, as she turned back around and opened the door to the Camaro, before getting in. "Well you heard the man." she sat down grinning at Damon who gave her a kiss on the lips. "Time to find the cure." she said.

Stefan had carried Bonnie back to her father's house straight after the massacre before explaining to Mayor Hopkins that Bonnie had been brainwashed by Silas. Caroline was swamped with prom committees meaning that Stefan was the one to wait with her until she woke up. Not that he had much else to do whilst everyone else was on their travels. Jeremy has offered, but they wanted to make sure she was really Bonnie first before letting her close to humans. He'd spent the day reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein when he suddenly heard Bonnie stirring in her room.

Stefan knocked on the door. "Bonnie, it's me Stefan. Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure." Bonnie replied as Stefan opened the bedroom door and let himself in gingerly as Bonnie pushed herself up into a sitting position and smiled at Stefan..

"Hey. How you feeling?" Stefan asked, sitting down on the end of Bonnie's bed.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie asked confused. "How'd I get here?"

"What do you mean?" Stefan frowned. "I...I brought you home. The witches almost killed you."

"What witches?" Bonnie narrowed her eyes at Stefan.

"You don't remember?" Stefan asked as Bonnie raised her eyebrows in response, prompting Stefan to nod in understanding. "Whatever the witches did must have messed with your memory." he sighed as much to himself as to Bonnie.

"How did I get off the island?" Bonnie asked as Stefan looked at Bonnie initially confused, as he began to wonder how far back her 'amnesia' went.

"Wait. Bonnie...what's the last thing you can remember?" Stefan asked.

"I guess I remember being in that cave, and the hunter guy was trying to pry the cure out of Silas' hands. Please tell me he got it." Bonnie pleaded, however her face fell when she saw Stefan's expression. "We didn't get it, did we?" she asked as Stefan shook his head sadly. "What happened?" she asked.

"Katherine has it." he sighed. "From what we know, she stabbed you, snapped Damon's neck and killed the hunter guy." Stefan explained. "Then she made off with not only the cure, but the tombstone and the white oak stake."

"Wow." Bonnie sighed in shock. "What happened then?" she asked.

"You and Professor Shane were missing, but we eventually found you both near the campsite." he told her.

"How did he get out?" Bonnie asked. "He broke his leg."

"We thought Katherine had given him some of her blood." Stefan explained as Bonnie frowned at him. "We thought she was working with him. But it turned out Professor Shane is still on the island." he shrugged.

"What, how?" Bonnie frowned.

"Because the person we came back with, who we thought was Professor Shane was actually Silas." he told her as Bonnie put her hand to her mouth.

"Is Professor Shane..." she started.

"...dead?" Stefan interrupted as Bonnie nodded sadly. "Yes, he's dead." he said quietly as tears began to well up in Bonnie's eyes. "Rebekah found him still alive." Stefan told her. "He saw Silas, and he was scared. So he asked Rebekah to kill him."

"Why?" Bonnie frowned.

"I guess the only thing keeping him going was Silas getting his family back for him." Stefan offered. "But when he came face to face with the real Silas, he realized it wasn't worth it."

"So we need to destroy Silas." Bonnie said urgently.

"Wait Bonnie... there's more." Stefan put his hand on top of Bonnie's to stop her from getting up.

"What?" Bonnie asked, beginning to worry when she saw Stefan's expression grow even more serious. "We don't exactly know when you found out that Professor Shane was really Silas. But Silas had persuaded you that he could help bring people like your Grams, Vicki, Ric and Anna back, so you agreed to help him complete the triangle." he said sadly.

"The Expression triangle?" Bonnie looked at Stefan horrified as he nodded in response. "Is that what the witches were trying to do? Stop me from helping him?" she asked.

"Yes and no." Stefan looked down. "You set a trap and the witches came to try and free you from Expression but your plan was to kill them once they were linked and that they would become the third massacre." he told her.

"Please tell me I didn't kill twelve witches." she begged as Stefan shook his head.

"The witches were going to kill you, but Caroline saved you, however killed the witch with the knife." he told her as Bonnie sucked in a deep breath. "But it was too late, they were all linked."

"The triangle was completed?" Bonnie asked in horror as Stefan nodded. "So what now?" she asked.

"When Rebekah went searching for Kol, she found Professor Shane who she said was seriously injured, but before he died, he told her that there was another way to destroy Silas." Stefan told her as Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"He told me the same." she said, remembering the conversation where he'd told her about Qetsiyah's curse. "He said that Qetsiyah would rise as there was another way to end the curse."

"What curse?" Stefan asked, confused as this was new information.

"Qetsiyah was cursed to watch Silas and Amara fall in love over and over again throughout history." Bonnie told him frowning. "And that Qetsiyah would rise to break the curse or something like that. But he wasn't entirely sure whether it was true, I don't think he'd fully researched it, he wanted to raise Silas, not destroy him." she said.

"He told Rebekah, about a prophesy." Stefan explained. "She and Matt have gone to New Orleans to find some of Kol's old connections and ask some questions." he told her. "Damon and Elena have gone to try and get the cure from Katherine, just in case the prophesy isn't real." he added as Bonnie nodded.

"Anything else I should know?" Bonnie asked.

"Silas want you to lower the veil." Stefan told her.

"Silas isn't going to get what he wants." Bonnie told him. "I'm not going to lower the veil to the other side."

"So, can we count on you to help us destroy him?" Stefan asked as Bonnie smiled and nodded back.

"Do you mind if I get up and use the bathroom?" she asked frowning.

"Yeah...sure..." Stefan smiled. "You know what, I'll give you a little privacy, see if I can get hold of my brother, and find out if they've made any progress." he said. "I'm looking after you today, to make sure Silas doesn't appear and begin to brainwash you again. It was either me or Caroline who is in full on prom planning mode." he smiled as he got up and left Bonnie to get dressed in peace.

Damon and Elena pulled up outside a very ordinary looking house in the very ordinary looking Chestnut Street which was the address the guy from the Post Office had given to them. Damon switched the engine off as they both got out and walked up to the house, where Elena tried the key to the door, which unsurprisingly fit. Damon hovered his boot over the step to make sure they could both enter, but there was no barrier, allowing them both to walk straight into the house, closing the door behind them.

The inside of the house was nothing like what either of them expected from Katherine Pierce. First of all it was small and cosy, more floral than the sexual diva that was the Katherine Pierce they knew and hated.

"Wow. A quilt and a fish aquarium. Who the hell is this Katherine Pierce?" Damon asked, stunned by his surroundings.

"An old lady with awful taste." Elena grimaced. "Although her awful taste is to my benefit, so I'm not complaining." she smiled as she gave Damon a peck on the lips.

"Yeah, it doesn't look like the Katherine I know." Damon frowned. "Now where is it, Auntie Katherine?" he asked. "Where do we start looking?" he mumbled to himself.

"Well, over there, is the tombstone, which confirms that this is Katherine's place after all." Elena said pointing over to the rock which was being hidden on a bookshelf."

"Which means that not only is the cure here." Damon added. "But I'm guessing, so is the white oak stake." he grinned.

"Hopefully we can leave with a nice little haul of treasure." Elena grinned. "But first we start looking for the cure." she said as Damon noticed something on the bookshelf near to the rock.

"Well look at what we have here." he grinned as he ushered Elena to look at the small safe in front of them. Damon yanked open the safe, only to find it completely empty.

"Well it's not in the safe." Elena sighed. "Do you want me to look upstairs?" she asked.

"Wait a minute." Damon grinned. "So if I was a paranoid, distrustful sociopath, where would I keep my most prized possession?" he asked Elena.

"Not being any of those things, I have no idea." Elena shrugged, her eyes searching the room.

"Well I'd want it to be close, but not on me." Damon said as he began to slowly walk forward. "Accessible but not obvious. I'd want to keep it safe, but not so safe that it'd be too difficult to grab and run." he continued his running commentary until he stopped in front of the fish tank, kneeling down to look at it's contents. "Well, that is a fancy little treasure chest in a tank with no fish." Damon looked up at Elena "I think I'm gonna have to check that out." he said as he stuck his hand into the water which immediately began to burn. "Aah! Gah! Vervain water. Damon cried out as he withdrew his hand quickly and began shaking it, waiting for it to heal. "Looks like we have a winner." he said as he picked up a large net and scooped the chest out. Damon placed the net on the little side table and opened it revealing a small tube filled with red liquid. "Bingo." he grinned as he gently removed the tube from the box and handing it over to Elena.

"I don't want it." Elena said frowning.

"I know that." Damon said. "But we need to find the white oak stake. You were right with your suggestion about splitting up." he explained. "You go upstairs and look for it whilst I search down here. If Katherine gets back before we find the stake, hopefully I can stall her into thinking I have the cure because I've got the box." he smiled as Elena nodded in understanding before taking the vial of liquid and placing it into her pocket and heading upstairs to search for the white oak stake.

Damon put the treasure chest in his pocket and began to search the downstairs of the house whilst Elena was upstairs.

"Got it." he heard Elena call down just as he heard the door open, turning around, he froze to see Katherine stood in the doorway.

"Well Damon, this is an unpleasant surprise." she smirked.

Bonnie walked into the lounge after getting showered and dressed to find Stefan just finishing up on a call. Not wanting to interrupt, she headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. Just as she was pouring herself a cup Stefan joined her.

"Any updates?" she asked, offering Stefan a mug of coffee which he accepted.

"Lots." he told her. "That was my second call. My first one was from Caroline who has just returned from a very upset Klaus." Bonnie looked at him unconvinced. "It turns out that Klaus was convinced by Silas that it wasn't Katherine who took the white oak stake, but instead he took it." he told a wide eyed Bonnie. "He left the tip of it in Klaus's back causing Klaus to think he was dying. And considering the only person around to help him who wouldn't laugh was Caroline, he asked her to help get rid of it."

"What happened?" Bonnie asked.

"Nothing." Stefan frowned. "There was nothing there. He got into Klaus's head and convinced him that he was dying." he told a very shocked Bonnie.

"But if he can get into Klaus's head, what chance do we stand?" Bonnie asked.

"That's not all." Stefan told her. "He didn't just appear as Professor Shane. He also appeared as Caroline at one point."

"So he can change faces just like that?" she asked shuddering as Stefan nodded.

"The second call was from Matt." Stefan smiled. "It's kinda good news." he told her as Bonnie raised her eyebrows expectantly. "They spoke with a witch in New Orleans who was originally from a coven of witches called the Travelers." he told her.

"The same coven as Silas and Qetsiyah?" Bonnie asked, surprised that they still existed. Professor Shane had told her he thought they'd died out long ago.

"Apparently." Stefan replied. "She left and joined another coven, she didn't want any part in bringing back Silas." he said. "Turns out the prophesy is true, there is another way to destroy Silas. But they need the messenger to contact Qetsiyah by either dropping the veil or temporarily visiting her on the other side." he explained.

"And who is the messenger?" Bonnie sighed, already knowing the answer.

Stefan winced. "The one that managed to get into Silas's tomb." he said.

"I can cross to the other side and contact Qetsiyah if I have something of hers." Bonnie told him. "Shane gave me a necklace made from her human bone. I guess we could use that. Or we could try the tombstone, that contains her calcified blood." she explained. "In fact, it would be better if I had both. The more I have, the greater a connection there will be and less of a risk for me." she told him.

"Katherine has the tombstone." Stefan told her. "But Damon and Elena have a lead on Katherine. Hopefully they'll get that as well." he sighed.

"I take it you haven't spoken to him." Bonnie said.

Stefan shook his head. "Not since they were in New York." he told her. "They had a lead and left last night. I tried calling Damon when I left you earlier but it kept going to voicemail." he sighed. "I'll keep trying Damon, you keep trying Elena." he suggested as Bonnie nodded as they got up and headed to the living room to make their calls.

Katherine stood at the door smirking looking at Damon who looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"This obsession you have with me Damon." Katherine smirked. ""It's not healthy. What would poor little Elena think?" she asked mockingly as she gradually walked into the house.

"Well maybe if I'd have met Grandma Katherine first, I might have left you all to Stefan." Damon replied sarcastically. "Although on the downside, I'd never have met Elena, so really I should thank you for it. Who's house is this anyway?" he asked, trying to stall her whilst attempting to come up with a plan.

"It's mine." Katherine replied indignantly.

"This whole small-town girl thing, we know it's all an act." Damon sneered.

"Maybe you don't know Katherine at all. Did it ever occur to you that you have no idea who I really am?" Katherine purred.

"Did it ever occur to you that you're not that deep?" Damon replied.

"Where is the cure?" Katherine asked, changing the subject.

"What cure?" Damon said innocently.

"Quit stalling." Katherine sucked her cheeks in. "I know Elena is upstairs with the white oak stake. So which one of you has the cure?" she asked.

"Oh you mean this cure?" Damon asked as he took the chest out of his jacket pocket and waved it around in front of Katherine, before dropping it in the fish tank. "Oops." he said putting his hand to his mouth. "Butterfingers." he grinned. "I'd fish it out, but, you know, that water is just full of vervain." he shrugged.

"I know. I put it there." Katherine snapped as she suddenly vamp-sped at him and shoved his head into the vervain water, and held him there for several seconds before yanking his head out and throwing him to the floor.

Katherine picked up the fishing net and pulled out the chest, all the while Damon was rolling on the floor writhing in pain as his face began to slowly heal. Katherine opened the box only to find it empty.

"So Elena has it." she grinned.

"No!" Damon cried out, grabbing Katherine's leg as she tried to set off upstairs to get to Elena, however, she just quickly turned around and snapped his neck. Turning back to head upstairs, she was met with her own face and the white oak stake in her stomach.

"You missed!" Katherine grinned as Elena tried to make a run for it but Katherine was too quick for her, as she pulled the stake out and pushed Elena up against the book shelves.

"Give it to me or I'll kill you." Katherine sighed. "You know you don't stand a chance against me."

"You're gonna kill me anyway. If you try to kill me I'm going to take the cure" Elena said holds up the small tube, filled with what looked like blood. "Then you'll have nothing." she smirked, snatching it away before Katherine could take it from her.

"Won't I?" Katherine smirked. "You see, you have everything, and it's not because you're a good little girl who deserves happiness, it's because you stole mine." she continued. "If I kill you quickly, he won't even notice." she cocked her head over to Damon's dead body. "I got really good at pretending to be you. Fine, take the cure, I'll just kill you and pretend to be you." Katherine bent down and whispered into Elena's ear. "And maybe I'll choose the right brother instead." she pulled back and grinned at Elena's horrified face as she first glanced over to where Damon lay, and then looked around to see if there was anything she could use as a weapon, but books weren't going to hold back Katherine Pierce. Elena felt a kick to her leg as Katherine attempted to regain Elena's focus.

"Kicking someone while they're down...classy till the end, Katherine." Elena stalled, realizing she only had one option.

Katherine laughed. "Your end." she said as she thrust her hand into Elena's chest and grabbed hold of her heart. "Bye-bye, little girl." she sneered as Elena shoves the cure into Katherine's mouth and forced her jaw to close around it. Katherine's eyes widened as the cure dissolved in her mouth, her hand letting go of Elena's heart before she fell to the floor next to Elena, unconscious.

"Have a nice human life, Katherine." Elena panted, recovering from the hand around her heart, as she stared at Katherine, unable to comprehend what had just happened when she heard someone opening the door, looking up she saw Elijah stood in the doorway.

"Katerina." he cried out as he rushed over to Katherine's unconscious body.

"Oww." Damon murmured in the background as he began to stir whilst Elijah knelt to the floor and took Katherine's head in his lap, brushing her hair from her face before his gaze moved over to Elena.

"Elena." Elijah sighed, shaking his head. "Oh my, what have you done?" he asked, wide eyed, his voice was a mixture of anger, grief, fear and disappointment.

Stefan hung up the phone and turned to Bonnie, his face ashen with shock.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked nervously.

"Damon and Elena are on their way back." Stefan replied. "They found Katherine and the cure."

"Great." Bonnie smiled. "Where is Katherine?" she asked.

"A small town in Pennsylvania called Willoughby." he said. "But the cure, it's gone." he frowned.

"Gone?" Bonnie asked. "How can it be gone?"

"Katherine took it." Stefan said shocked. "Katherine's human." he looked up at the wide eyed Bonnie who was too stunned to reply.

Silas stood outside Bonnie's house, listening to the conversation she was having with Stefan. He'd heard all he needed to hear. There was no point in lowering the veil until he had the cure. And Katherine Pierce was now the cure. It wasn't much to go on, but if Willoughby was a small town, then he wouldn't have too much trouble finding out where a human Katherine Pierce was. And with that he set off to find her.

  
  


  
  


  
  


 

 


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

**Warning smutty chapter ahead.**

Two days later, a meeting had been called at the Salvatore boarding house to compare notes. The delay in the meeting was for Damon and Elena to drive back from Willoughby, via New York for Damon to pay another visit to the witch and for Elena to buy a prom dress for the looming prom which was only three weeks away. Matt and Jeremy were both working a shift at the Grill, although their presence wasn't essential, which left a slightly depleted group gathered in the parlor. Damon,Elena, Stefan, Caroline, Rebekah and now Bonnie was allowed to join as she was now free from Silas's brainwashing, were all gathered around the fireplace telling the group how their research had gone. Caroline had already told the group of what Silas had done to Klaus and how she'd ended up completing the third massacre. Rebekah was the next up to give her tale to the group as Bonnie was taking notes.

"Matt and I went to New Orleans where we met with a witch who came from a coven of witches called the Travelers." she told the group who all nodded as they knew some parts of the story already. "She was terrified they were following her because they don't want the prophesy to be fulfilled." she said.

"Why?" Stefan asked.

"Apparently, Silas's current power to change faces and get into people's heads is because he is drawing magic from some magical bloodlines." Rebekah told the group. "I'm guessing this magic must have come from witches within the coven, because once Silas lowers the veil and dies, the coven will get their magic back and be powerful once again." she told them.

"So they want to let Silas lower the veil just to get their magic back?" Bonnie asked as Rebekah nodded.

"These bloodlines are known as shadow-selves. According to our witch, the key players are all in place and the Travelers have placed a temporary spell on them to make them indestructible." Rebekah said. "So they can't be killed until Silas gives them their magic back. If he lowers the veil and dies, the prophesy will remain unfulfilled and the curse will continue forever." she finished.

"The curse of Qetsiyah seeing Amara and Silas fall in love over and over again." Bonnie chimed in as everyone except Damon and Elena looked at her puzzled. "Shane told me about it on the island." she shrugged.

"That brings us around to what we know." Damon stood up in front of the fireplace.

"Um...Excuse me." Rebekah argued back. "I haven't quite finished." she said putting her hands on her hips as Damon rolled his eyes.

"Go on then." Damon sighed. "Tell us all what we already know."

"As I said, the shadow-selves are indestructible." Rebekah told them. "So killing them won't end the bloodlines. Apparently the only way to do that is for the messenger to see Qetsiyah on the other side." Rebekah smirked at Bonnie.

"I already got that part." Bonnie smiled back. "I'm the messenger as I'm the one who opened the tomb, meaning I've got to have a chat with Qetsiyah. And yes, I'm almost ready." she added smugly as Rebekah's face fell. "Did you get the tombstone?" Bonnie asked looking between Damon and Elena.

"Yeah we got it." Elena smiled back at Bonnie.

"You done?" Damon asked as Rebekah sat down. "Did you even get the prophesy?" he asked knowing the answer as Rebekah shook her head sheepishly. "Well it's a good job I did." he grinned smugly, getting up and handing a piece of paper to Bonnie. "What do you make of this?" Damon asked Bonnie who read what it said to herself frowning.

"Well come on, what does it say?" Rebekah asked.

Bonnie cleared her throat to read out what was written.

" _The curse will be broken when soulmates come together in death. They shall bring forth the light of the one to draw the power of all the ancient Travelers. Silas will weaken from the power of the one and will then perish at the hands of the indestructible immortal, who will rise once more."_ she said.

"Well that makes no sense." Caroline folded her arms.

"Actually it makes a lot of sense." Bonnie smiled. "You see, to break the curse, the Amara and Silas doppelgangers mustn't be allowed to fall in love and continue the bloodline, so we need to find the doppelgangers."

"Well I guess _you_ need to find the doppelgangers." Rebekah sneered. "Silas really scared Nik, that's the only reason I'm here after _she_ gave Katherine the cure." she glared at Elena.

"And you also know that Elijah said Katherine might be a walking cure, which is why he has her in a safe house for now." Elena argued back.

"Safe from Nik more like." Rebekah muttered.

"Silas hasn't been seen for days." Stefan said, ignoring Rebekah's snide remark. "If he knows about Katherine, there's a good chance he's gone looking for her."

"Which means you may have just had a lucky escape." Damon smirked at Rebekah.

"Fine, I'm not needed here anymore" Rebekah huffed. "I've got better things to do like finding the perfect prom dress." she stood up and left.

"Ooh, taxing." Damon sneered under his breath, earning him a snicker from Elena.

"I need to get going too." Caroline told them. "You don't need me here and I've a prom committee to go to in ten minutes." she said checking the time on her phone.

"It's fine Caroline." Stefan smiled. "We'll update you with any news." he said as Caroline also left.

"Looks like it's just us." Elena sighed looking around at Damon, Stefan and Bonnie.

"You sure you want to do this Bonnie?" Stefan asked.

"I've gotten the power of Expression behind me." Bonnie told them. "Shane taught me some breathing techniques and I've been looking into it myself since I came round from the massacre. I've got it under control now." she assured them.

"And you know how to do this spell and come back alive?" Elena asked worriedly.

"I'm not really dying." Bonnie told her. "It's like the spell I did at the decade dance. You don't need to worry." she smiled. "Where's the tombstone?" Bonnie asked.

"I'll get it." Damon replied as he vamp-sped upstairs and retrieved it from his bedroom before handing it over to Bonnie. "No dying permanently." he warned her. "I get the impression your important in all of this."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Bonnie assured them. "Right, I need somewhere to lay down whilst I visit the other side." she explained.

"Bed, couch...?" Stefan offered.

"Couch'll be fine." she smiled as she went over and lay down on the couch holding the necklace with Qetsiyah's bone in it as Damon lay the rock on the table next to her. Bonnie lifted her and and touched the rock as she began chanting under her breath. Soon the chanting stopped as Bonnie's eyes closed and her hand began to slip away from the rock until Elena stopped it and held it there for her to keep her connection with Qetsiyah. When Bonnie's breathing stopped, they knew she was gone.

Bonnie opened her eyes and looked around. She was still in the Salvatore boarding house parlor, except instead of being surrounded by Elena, Stefan and Damon, she was surrounded by three women, Grams, a woman she recognized from the family photographs as Emily Bennett and a beautiful woman who she didn't recognize, but she assumed to be Qetsiyah.

"Grams?" Bonnie asked excitedly.

"Hello child." Sheila greeted her with a huge smile on her face as Bonnie's face fell.

"I'm so sorry Grams, I got caught up in all of this, those witches..." Bonnie cried as tears fell down her cheeks, prompting Sheila to put her arms around her granddaughter.

"Now don't you worry. I'm here now. The Expression will be gone when you go back and the spirits of nature will be on your side again." Sheila told her.

"Why?" Bonnie sniffled. "I led twelve witches to their death."

"The warning from the witches was too much. They blame themselves for pushing you away and turning to Expression." Grams explained. "You don't need to worry, your powers will be back fine, although you'll have that little necklace to channel Qetsiyah's power." she winked as Bonnie looked up at Qetsiyah.

"Hello Bonnie." Qetsiyah smiled introducing herself as she held out her hand to Bonnie who shook it.

"Emily." Bonnie nodded at Emily who nodded back.

"Bonnie." she smiled.

"Why do I need all three of you here?" Bonnie asked.

"The witches have given me the power to clear you of Expression." Grams smiled. "And I wanted to see you."

"I'm here to give you a little bit of information." Qetsiyah explained. "Plus you will need to take some of my magic with you to help you do what has to be done." she said.

"And I need to come back with you for a short time." Emily told her as Bonnie frowned. "I'll need to possess your body." she clarified."

"Why?" Bonnie asked.

"Silas has been inside your head." Qetsiyah explained. "We can't risk him finding out too much."

"I will complete the first part of the ritual." Emily explained. "Then I will leave and you can complete the rest. It will be too late for Silas and the Travelers to interfere by then." she smiled.

"I don't understand." Bonnie frowned.

Qetsiyah looked at Bonnie and smiled. "Silas only knows what happened before he was put in the cave." she told her. "There are many sides to this story, but all you need to know is that Silas cannot be allowed to wreak havoc. His powers must be stopped."

"And how do I do that?" Bonnie asked confused.

"The first part of the prophesy has already been triggered." Qetsiyah explained. "The two soulmates have come together in death." she said.

"Okay...and?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"It only applies whilst in death. Should they take the cure, the curse will force the shadow-selves back together." Qetsiyah told her.

"The cure?" Bonnie said. "Are they vampires?" she asked as Qetsiyah smiled and nodded. "Elena." she sighed knowingly as Qetsiyah nodded again. "So who is the other doppelganger?" she asked.

"It is Stefan." Sheila said.

"Does that mean Damon is her soulmate?" Bonnie asked as Qetsiyah nodded.

"Elena becoming a vampire and leaving Stefan for Damon was the first part of the prophesy being triggered." Qetsiyah explained. "We need to make sure that if the Travelers give them the cure, that they will not continue the curse." she said.

"Will they die?" Bonnie asked as Qetsiyah shook her head.

"No." Emily said. "There is an elixir which I made. All three of them must take it to weaken Silas's powers." she explained. "It won't harm them, it will just prevent the Travelers from getting what they want." she said.

"And then what?" Bonnie frowned.

"We have no time." Qetsiyah explained. "Emily kept a record of everything you need to know and right now it is hidden, which is one of the reasons why Emily must return with you. Once the ritual is complete, Emily will leave your body and you will have everything you need to complete the prophesy." she said. "Hold my hands." she told Bonnie. "I need to transfer more power to you now that you have been cleared of Expression." she said as she closed her eyes and Bonnie followed suit, however as soon as she did everything went dark, as Bonnie fell unconscious.

Elena, Damon and Stefan were nervously waiting and watching Bonnie's motionless body on the couch in the parlor. Bonnie had been out for over half an hour and they'd already cleared a bottle of whiskey between them and were starting on a second. Stefan was pacing up and down the near the fireplace, as Damon held onto Elena to give her comfort as she tried her hardest not to worry too much. Suddenly Bonnie's body stirred and she sat up looking around her before casting her gaze to Stefan, Damon and finally Elena.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked as she rushed over to hug her friend, however she was surprised when Bonnie pulled back and shook her head.

"I'm not Bonnie." came a voice from Bonnie's mouth that did not belong to Bonnie.

"Emily!" Damon gasped wide-eyed, before glancing over at Stefan's shocked face. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Stefan, Damon, Elena." Emily smiled at all three of them who were now seated, after Stefan had sat down in one of the chairs next to the huge fire in the Salvatore parlor.

"What do you want Emily?" Stefan asked. "Why did you come back in Bonnie's body"

"Where is Sabrina?" Damon frowned.

"Bonnie is fine." Emily told them. "When my work is complete, she will return to her body."

"Why did you have to come back?" Stefan asked.

"To help fulfill the prophesy, I was the one who created the elixir and the talisman." Emily told them. "Only I know where they are and as Silas has been inside Bonnie's head, I cannot allow him to know of the location before we get there or allow him to interfere with the first ritual. I don't know how strong his connection to Bonnie is and nobody knows where he has gone." she explained. "I will retrieve the necessary items, complete the first ritual and then Bonnie will return to you."

"What is this ritual?" Elena asked.

"I need you three to drink the elixir I created." Emily told them. "That is all." she smiled.

"Why us?" Elena asked.

"You and Stefan are the Silas and Amara shadow-selves." Emily told Elena before turning to Damon. "You are the soulmate." she said. "To ensure the prophesy is fulfilled, Stefan and Elena cannot be allowed to be a couple again."

"But I love Damon." Elena frowned. "Why would I fall back in love with Stefan?" she asked.

"The prophesy applies to death." Emily explained. "As a vampire you are dead. Should Silas and the Travelers find a way to give you both the cure, you would no longer be dead..."

"And Elena would run straight back to Stefan." Damon closed his eyes as his face fell.

"She will still love you Damon." Emily assured him. "But the curse is too powerful for a human to resist. It doesn't matter what her heart wants, her head will force her back into Stefan's arms because of the curse." she explained.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Damon asked, narrowing his eyes. "You betrayed me last time, we made a deal and you destroyed the crystal." he shook his head. "Give me one good reason to trust you."

"Because I knew you would need my family for this moment." Emily explained. "I knew Katherine wasn't in the tomb, but you needed a Bennett witch, and the only way for my line to survive was with your protection." she smiled as Damon frowned.

"For Silas?" he asked as she nodded.

"Let me get this straight." Stefan said. "You knew this was going to happen?" he asked as Emily nodded.

"I always knew Katherine was an Amara doppelganger." Emily explained. "Our coven managed to keep her picture. The Silas picture was destroyed in a fire, meaning we didn't know what he looked like." she said. "When we arrived in Mystic Falls, Katherine told me that Stefan looked exactly like her first love, the man who fathered her child, meaning she'd already played her part in the curse." Emily told them as they looked at her in surprise.

"Go on, we're listening." Damon urged her.

"That's when I realized that Stefan was the Silas shadow-self and was cursed to fall in love with Katherine." Emily told them. "What I didn't expect to happen was your obsession with her without needing any compulsion." she said looking at Damon, who narrowed his eyes. "Once that happened, I began to suspect you were the brothers from the prophesy. That was when I began to create the talisman and the elixir needed to fulfill the prophesy."

"My obsession?" Damon raised an eyebrow. "Why was that the giveaway?" he asked.

"There is more to the prophesy." Emily said. "The Bennett witches are the keepers of the prophesy. All you need to know is the prophesy is about two brothers. One is the soulmate and one is the shadow-self." she explained. "I thought that if you didn't complete the transition, then it would fulfill the prophesy, because Stefan would die without meeting his own shadow-self and you would fall in love after you gained peace." she said to Damon."However, when you both completed the transition, I realized the next Amara shadow-self would fall for Stefan until she inevitably became a vampire, which for her would free her heart of the curse to be with her soulmate." Emily turned to Stefan. "But you are still locked into the curse. No matter how much you tell yourself to let Elena go and be happy for her and Damon, the curse stops you. You will never be able to be free and move on until you have taken the elixir." she warned him as Stefan looked down sheepishly whilst Damon and Elena looked on in surprise.

"I thought you said you'd moved on." Elena said to Stefan frowning.

"I'm trying..." Stefan replied.

"But he can't because the curse is stopping him." Damon said wide-eyed. "The only way he can break away from his feelings is by flipping his humanity switch." he sighed.

"Or taking the elixir." Stefan sighed. "What does this do to us exactly." he asked turning to Emily.

"It will free your heart Stefan." Emily smiled before turning to Damon and Elena. "And it will make sure that Elena will never raise a family with Stefan, regardless of what Silas and the Travelers do to you all." she added.

"Vampires can't procreate." Elena frowned.

"I take it that means there's more than one dose of the cure." Damon sighed as Emily nodded. "How many?" he asked.

"I do not know." Emily replied. "So you understand why you have to take this elixir. It will not hurt you, it will only make sure that the curse cannot continue." she explained. "Once the curse is broken, it will weaken Silas and then the one true immortal can rise and destroy him."

"How do we know this one true immortal is not a bad guy?" Damon asked.

"You are going to have to trust me." Emily sighed.

"Okay, I'm in." Elena suddenly said. "It looks like we don't have much of a choice, and if it's not going to actually hurt us, then what's the harm in it?" she asked looking at Damon expectantly.

"Are there any negative side effects?" Damon asked Emily.

"Elena may be a little more...affectionate towards you." Emily smirked. "If you believe that to be negative."

"I'm in!" Damon grinned, rubbing his hands together as Stefan winced.

"Don't worry Stefan." Emily assured him smiling. "Damon and Elena being together will no longer bother you, instead your heart will be free to allow you to be with your own true soulmate." she smiled. "Your love for that person will be real and not bound by magic." she explained. "Your love for Elena feels real, but it isn't, it is a love born from a curse. Surely you want to be free of it." she said.

Stefan thought for a moment before nodding."Okay, lets do it." he sighed.

"Great." Damon grinned. "Where is this magic elixir?" he asked.

"I buried it at the old witch burial site." Emily replied.

"The witch house?" Stefan asked as Emily nodded.

"Fine, I'll drive." Damon offered standing up. "What are you all waiting for?" he asked as Stefan, Elena and Emily stood up as they headed out to Damon's car.

It was still daylight when twenty minutes later Damon parked the Camaro outside the old witch house as everyone got out to head inside.

"The witches aren't going to stop my ring from working are they?" Damon asked Emily.

"The witches are no longer here." Emily replied. "Also it is in everyone's interests for your ring to keep working." she smiled. "But even if they did, you would burn, but you wouldn't die. The travelers have you protected." she added walking into the house as Stefan, Elena and Damon followed her until they reached the basement room where once upon a time, Stefan had stored the coffins of the Mikaelson's.

Emily stood still and closed her eyes, concentrating on finding everything she had once buried here, when suddenly the earth started to shake and a hole began to appear near one of the candelabra's. Once the ground stopped shaking, Emily walked over to the hole, knelt down and put her hands inside to retrieve a large package wrapped in old leather tied with string. Once she'd removed the package, the ground shook once more as the hole closed up as if it had never been there in the first place. Emily then lit the fire and candles with her mind, to bring some light and warmth to the room as Damon, Elena and Stefan watched on in silence. She placed the package on the ground and opened it revealing a book, a piece of quartz, a bottle of clear liquid and three small glasses.

"This feels creepy." Elena shuddered.

"It's will be fine." Emily assured her. "This will only take a moment." she said as she poured the liquid into the glasses before closing her eyes and chanting a spell under her breath. "It's done." she said opening her eyes and gesturing the three of them to take a glass each, which they did.

"Bottoms up!" Damon declared as he tipped his head back to drank the contents in one gulp.

"Cheers!" Elena offered as she followed suit.

"Let's hope this works." Stefan said as he also drank his in one.

"It's done. Tell Bonnie everything she needs is in this book." Emily smiled as they all looked at her, when suddenly she dropped to the floor unconscious.

"Bonnie." Elena cried as she ran over to the body of her best friend, kneeling down and holding her head in her lap as she stroked Bonnie's hair from her face. "Wake up." she pleaded, as tears pricked her eyes. Suddenly Bonnie took in a deep breath and opened her eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked looking up at Elena a little confused.

"We're at the old witch house." Elena explained. "Emily brought us here." she said as Bonnie pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Did Emily complete the ritual?" Bonnie asked.

"Well she sure as hell pours a better drink than the Quarterback." Damon grinned.

"Matt doesn't work the bar." Elena frowned.

"Exactly." Damon smirked as Elena suddenly looked at him almost mesmerized.

"What's up with her?" Bonnie asked Stefan.

"It turns out one of the side effects of the elixir is that it will make Elena more...affectionate with Damon." Stefan sighed.

"Is that even possible?" Bonnie asked raising an eyebrow as Elena got up and walked over to Damon, who took her in his arms and kissed her on her forehead.

"Apparently it is." Stefan explained.

"I wonder if there were any residual effects of the curse holding her back." Bonnie mused.

"I think I'm gonna call Caroline and stay at hers for the night." Stefan winced as he got his phone out. "I'll never get a moment's peace with those two." he cocked his head at Damon and Elena as Bonnie laughed.

"Excuse me, we're right here and can hear you." Damon announced before narrowing his eyes. "How do you feel about me and Elena?" he asked.

"I don't feel any different." Stefan frowned. "Maybe it didn't work." he shrugged.

"Me neither." Damon frowned. "It only seems to be affecting Elena."

"Emily said I'd be the one affected." Elena said. "Maybe it's to prevent me falling in love with Stefan." she shrugged.

"Well I think we need to get going." Bonnie said picking up the book and quartz as Stefan ran upstairs to check with Caroline that it was okay to spend the night on her couch.

"Yeah, I don't like it here." Elena shivered as Damon held her even tighter, whilst waiting for Bonnie to lead the way.

It was dark when Damon pulled away from Bonnie's, after both she and Stefan got out. Stefan had opted to spend the night at Caroline's to give Damon and Elena a little privacy whilst he updated Caroline on the everything that had transpired since she'd left earlier that day. Stefan had noticed the way Damon and Elena had been looking at each other since they'd taken the elixir, it had seemed to have had an immediate impact upon Elena, although he himself hadn't felt any different.

Once they were alone in the car, Elena put her hand on Damon's jean-clad thigh and began running her hand up and down it. Once she took the elixir, she had felt an immediate change, her libido went into overdrive, and if it had been her decision, she'd have let everyone leave and made love to Damon in the basement straight afterwards. However, Elena understood that the only other who came close to her in Damon's affections was his car and there was no way in hell he'd let either Stefan or Bonnie drive his baby, and she couldn't let Bonnie walk home, so they'd given her a lift back. Stefan had opted to go to Caroline's to update her on events, although Elena knew that the real reason was he didn't want to be around her and Damon whilst they were struggling to keep their hands off each other.

Elena's hand moved up Damon's thigh before she began tracing the shape of his length through his jeans, instantly making him hard at the gesture and making his jeans suddenly become very uncomfortable to drive in. Sensing his problems, Elena turned her body around so she could reach over to him with both hands and began to undo his belt, the his button and zipper, before Elena slid her hand inside his boxer briefs.

"Elena..." Damon said softly, trying to compose himself as Elena freed his member completely from his boxer briefs, wrapped her hand around his length and began to gently pump her wrist, causing Damon to suck his breath in. "Uh...Elena..." he started as Elena released her seat-belt, bent down and took him in her mouth. "Fuck!" he exclaimed. "I can't drive while you're doing that." he panted as he pulled the car over into a field near the woods next to the Salvatore boarding house. Damon rested his head back for a moment to regain his composure. "There's a rug in the trunk, we could lay it next to the car, nobody would see us."

"Mhmm." Elena hummed in complaint sending shock-waves through his member.

"Elena...I'm not going to last." Damon complained. "And I want to come inside you." he groaned as Elena lifted her head and pouted. "Rug!" he commanded as Elena got out of the car and vamp-sped to the trunk. Elena took the rug out of the trunk and lay it by the side of the car in the open field. It was a beautiful clear and warm night and the ground was completely dry.

"Out under the stars." Elena grinned as Damon got out of the car, having removed his jeans and boxer briefs, leaving them in the car, and joined her on the rug. "How romantic." she smiled until Damon lifted her top over her head and pushed her down on the rug, before hovering above her.

"No talking." he whispered seductively, placing his fingers on her lips before kissing her lovingly.

Elena raked her fingers through Damon's hair, before moving her hands down to find the hem of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head, mussing up his already messy hair and threw it to one side, allowing just Elena's red lace bra to separate them, until Damon slid his hand under her back and unfastened the hook.

"This has to go." he whispered, pulling the offending item away from Elena's body and adding it to the pile currently consisting of his t-shirt, as Elena put her finger to his lips. " I thought you said no talking." she smirked as she went to kiss him, however Damon moved and began to kiss Elena's jaw.

Damon moved his kisses down Elena's neck, tracing her jugular with his tongue, before brushing it with his blunt teeth, causing Elena to shiver with anticipation as he worked his way down her collarbone and chest, reaching her breasts. He pinched one nipple with his fingers whilst he swirled his talented tongue around the areola of her other breast, before taking her now pebbled nipple into his mouth, whilst massaging her breast at the same time. Elena began to moan with pleasure as his talents with his tongue knew no bounds in any part of her body. Damon swapped breast, devoting the same time and affection until Elena was writhing underneath him.

Leaving her breasts, Damon peppered kisses all the way down to Elena's jeans, where he quickly made short work of removing them, along with the red lace panties she wore, as Elena helped by raising her hips for him. Damon spread her legs and stroked his fingers up her slit.

"Fuck Elena." Damon swore. "You really are wet for me." he grinned as he lowered his head, letting his tongue follow the line his fingers had just made. He opened her labia and blew into her entrance, before lapping up her juices.

Elena was already desperately horny for Damon from the moment she'd swallowed the elixir. From that moment on, all she could imagine was Damon inside her, although right now as Damon's wet tongue entered her core, as he began tongue fucking her, this was a close second for what she needed. Elena felt Damon lay his hand on her stomach, he knew her well enough to realize that when she was this turned on, there was a good chance she was likely to buck.

"I want it from behind." Elena suddenly said, deciding that she wanted a change of position. Not being able to see what Damon was going to do next always heightened her pleasure.

Damon pulled away as Elena rolled over and got to her hands and knees as Damon positioned himself behind her and began to frantically work her with his tongue once more. This time however, his thumb began to massage Elena's clit, causing her to moan with pleasure as her she felt the heat beginning to pool in her stomach, warning her of an impending orgasm. Damon inserted two fingers inside of her and moved his head, allowing him to take the sensitive bundle of nerves which made up her nub into his mouth as he alternated sucking on it and licking her folds. It didn't take long for the white hot spasms to begin pulsating throughout her core and resonating through her entire body.

"Oh my god...oh yes...oh yes...oh yes...aah" she moaned as her head dropped down and she grabbed the rug in her hands, balling them into fists to try and cope with the intensity of what Damon was doing to her. Elena suddenly lifted her head and screamed into the darkness. "Damon!" she cried out as her entire body shook for what seemed like minutes until Damon stopped.

Damon moved himself underneath Elena, sliding himself until he was directly under her and they were face to face. Knowing exactly what he wanted, Elena took Damon's shaft in her hand, momentarily pumping it, earning her a hiss of pleasure from him, before placing it at her entrance and slowly lowering herself down, impaling herself.

"Ahhh." she moaned with pleasure as she felt his length fill her inside completely. This is what she'd wanted, this is what she needed, but only from Damon, as his was the only touch she wanted feel. He made her complete, and the simple act of making love, brought them together both emotionally and physically. Their union was a connection, and knowing that they were true soulmates, that had been foreseen in a two thousand year old prophesy, made the act feel even more special.

Elena began to move her hips as Damon began to thrust in sync with her, until Damon pulled her close to him and rolled them over, so he was hovering above her grinning before he moved his hips and began kissing her at the same time. Their bodies were so in sync that it didn't take long for Elena to quickly feel the build up of another orgasm. Damon slid out, much to Elena's dismay, and flipped her over onto her stomach, as he pulled her hips up slightly. He entered her from behind, however he was practically laying on her back, as he moved his hand beneath her and began to massage her clit. The moment her entered her, Elena knew why he'd changed positions, the angle of his thrusts made the sensation so intense, that when combined with his talented fingers, working their magic on her clit, the white hot spasms quickly overtook her body.

"Fuck...yes..." she cried as the orgasm hit her with a ferocity she hadn't expected. However it was short lived as Damon pulled out of her once more and moved them back into the position they'd started.

"I'd never have lasted." Damon panted as their thrusts met, each one with more urgency than the last. "And I wanted to see your face when we come together." he smiled as Elena kissed him passionately.

Suddenly Elena felt a drop of water on her back, causing her to pause for a moment, as she felt another and then another. "It's beginning to rain." she pouted.

"So what?" Damon frowned. "It's not like we've never had sex in a shower before." he said. "We've even got the added bonus of a few stars too." he smiled as Elena began to kiss him once more and they resumed their movements.

Damon suddenly sat up, as Elena had already began to feel the onset of another orgasm. The friction from this position was something Elena always loved, but that wasn't the only reason this was her favorite position. Whenever they were in this position, the way Damon looked at her always amazed her. He made her feel like a goddess, the total submission of this very powerful and extremely dangerous, ruthless vampire made her feel like she could conquer the world. She could look into his stunningly beautiful blue eyes and see his love for her, whilst at the same time, prove how much he adored her by how he could make her physically ache and need him before satisfying her need. And right at that moment as the heavens opened and the cold rain came down upon their naked bodies, he was setting fire to her body as the heat inside her stomach and core reached boiling point.

"I can't hold on much longer Elena." Damon moaned as he latched his mouth onto her breast and sucked hard causing a moan to escape from Elena's mouth. The combination of pleasure and pain was a heady one.

"I need all of you." Elena panted as Damon nodded in agreement.

Elena lowered her head to Damon's neck and tucked her hair behind her ear as Damon moved the stray strands covering her own jugular. Elena felt her eyes tingle and fangs elongate as they both bit simultaneously, the initial pleasurable prick of pain before the tugging sensation as they drew each others blood sent them both spiraling towards their orgasms. Elena released her mouth from Damon's neck and cried out.

"Fuck me Damon...oh my god...yes..." she screamed as Damon kept thrusting whilst her white hot core began to pulsate all around him, milking his shaft to his own release. Elena's body went rigid before it began to shake and her vision began to blur.

"Fuck! Elena..." Damon cried out as she felt him spill his hot seed inside of her and she glanced down to see his face scrunch up, causing that one extra spasm from her orgasm.

Damon's body shuddered for a few moments as they clung to each other as if their lives depended on it, whilst the rain lashed down around them. Elena lowered her head and kissed Damon as her soaking wet hair curtained them slightly, giving them an illusion of privacy. Elena felt Damon's member soften inside her, signaling to her that they needed to go.

"What are we going to wear in the car?" Elena asked, looking at the pile of soggy clothes next to them.

"I have spare t-shirts in the trunk." Damon sighed.

"Always prepared." Elena smiled.

"With you I need to be prepared for anything and everything." Damon grinned as Elena got up and held out her hand, pulling Damon up.

"I hope you're prepared for eternity with me." Elena said with a smile which turned into giggles as Damon lifted her up bridal style.

"Just you and me." Damon grinned. "I can't think of any better way to spend eternity." he said as he kissed her on the lips.

  
  


 

 


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Three weeks after Elena, Damon and Stefan had performed the elixir ritual, Mystic Falls had almost returned into a seemingly normal sleepy small town in Virginia. Silas had vanished after he'd fake staked Klaus,who had also disappeared along with Elijah to what appeared to be New Orleans. Rumors were rife as to why they'd left, some were suggesting it was because he was hunting Katherine, others mentioned something related to the werewolf Hayley, who had helped Tyler break the sire bond. Whatever it was, the only Original left in town was Rebekah, who was more of a danger to Caroline's prom planning than to the human population of Mystic Falls.

Bonnie had been spending her spare time either helping Caroline with organizing the prom, with Jeremy or studying the book which Emily had given her. She had found the book consisted of the ingredients and spell to produce the elixir, the spell for the talisman and the resurrection spell she would need to bring back the immortal to kill Silas. Most of the information was sketchy, although there was a lot of info surrounding two family trees, however they only showed the direct line of descendancy with an occasional anomaly. Confused at it's meaning, Bonnie decided to wait until after graduation to do some research into family trees as she was already overloaded with school work and helping Caroline with this evening's prom, to which Bonnie had agreed to go with Jeremy.

Stefan had finally been able to move back into the Salvatore boarding house after spending two weeks on Caroline's couch. Damon and Elena had become almost inseparable from the moment they all took the elixir and for those first two weeks, it had become impossible being under the same roof as them, especially with vampire hearing. To make matters worse, much to Stefan's disappointment, the elixir hadn't worked quite as quickly as Stefan had expected. It had only been in the last week had his feelings began to change, albeit only a small change, which turned out to be similar timing as Damon and Elena's sexual stamina had begun to wain a little. Fortunately it was enough for him to be able to move back into the boarding house accompanied by a substantial amount of earplugs.

To thank Caroline for her hospitality, Stefan had offered to take her to the prom as Tyler was still on the run from Klaus, even though Klaus was now in New Orleans, and Elena, although technically was going to the prom without a date, she still had Damon, who was attending as a chaperone. Rebekah was the only member of the Original family to stay in Mystic Falls and she was going with Matt.

On the day of the prom, Elena had decided she was having a girls pamper day at the Gilbert house, whilst she sent Jeremy away over to Matt's, and Damon stayed at the Salvatore boarding house with Stefan. Caroline and Bonnie were over for a day of facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, hair and make-up. They'd started at noon, which gave them plenty of time before Damon, Stefan and Jeremy, who were all due to arrive at seven, came to collect them. By six they were almost ready, with just their make-up and dresses to go. Elena was waiting for her toenails to dry, so in the meantime she was walking barefoot around the kitchen, fixing the evening's alcohol supplies for the three of them. Tonight's menu consisted of tequila and vodka, however they were determined to get the party started a little early as this was the first time they'd had a girls day since Elena had turned into a vampire. In preparation for the day, Elena had made vodka jello shots, which she put all twelve of them on a tray and returned to the living room.

"Jello shots anyone?" Elena grinned with a little curtsy as she placed the tray down on the coffee table.

"It's okay for you guys." Bonnie complained. "Humans get drunk a lot easier than vampires. I need to hold off until my make-up is done." she said. "Just leave me a couple."

"Your loss." Caroline giggled as she emptied the plastic cup and scrunched it up.

Bonnie turned to Elena. "So how did you manage to drag yourself away from Damon's bed?" she asked with a wink.

"With great difficulty." Elena grinned.

"Eww...I'm eating." Caroline complained as she swallowed her second jello shot.

"No seriously." Bonnie glared at Caroline before turning back yo Elena. "Since you guys took that elixir, you've been at it like rabbits. Was that the only side effect?" she asked.

Elena shook her head. "No." she said. "Damon seems to be the one who was least affected by the elixir. Sure, we've been...umm...busy.." she said coyly. "But I don't think Damon needed the elixir for that." she grinned.

"Is he really that good?" Bonnie asked wide-eyed as Elena nodded profusely.

"Amazing." Elena said dreamily. "It was just odd how quickly it the elixir took effect.." she said as her friends looked on in confusion. "As soon as I took it, I wanted to rip Damon's clothes off and...well you know." she giggled as she picked up a shot and looked to Bonnie. "We dropped you and Stefan off, but we didn't even make it to Wickery Bridge."

"I have a theory behind it." Bonnie grinned as she picked up a jello shot as the others two girls frowned.. "Fuck it!" she laughed. "Caroline, you can do my make-up." she said, swallowing the shot before turning back to Elena.

"Go on." Caroline narrowed her eyes.

Bonnie looked at Elena. "I've read a little about the curse and you and Stefan were forced to be together." she said. "But even when you got together with Damon, there was probably some residual part of you was holding back because the curse still had some hold on you. Once the tie was broken, the rush of pent up feelings you'd had for Damon before you turned must have taken over and become heightened. Now you've got it out of your system, you've returned to a more normal level of activities." Bonnie winked.

"That, combined with us completely wearing each other out through lack of sleep." Elena laughed.

"Can we get off the Damon and sex conversation please?" Caroline complained. "Seriously, it's grossing me out." she said as Bonnie and Elena looked at her and began laughing.

"I was asking purely for witch business." Bonnie laughed.

"Okay...fine!" Caroline huffed. "Damon is great in bed. End of discussion." she said folding his arms.

"Well he's certainly better than Matt." Elena giggled. "What about Tyler?" she said to Caroline. "Is Damon better than Tyler?" she teased as Caroline gave glared at her before her shoulders dropped and nodded weakly.

"Lack of experience!" Bonnie snorted with laughter. "That's what it is. Tyler has a lack of experience. You need someone with more experience."

"What about Klaus?" Elena joked earning her one of Caroline's death stares.

"Why not?" Bonnie asked. "He likes you."

"And you like him a _little_ bit." Elena added. "Maybe you could make him nicer." she offered smiling.

"What about Stefan?" Bonnie asked.

"What about Stefan?" Caroline frowned, her face turning serious.

"He's been spending a lot of time at your place." Bonnie teased.

"He's been trying to get away from those two!" Caroline nodded her head in Elena's direction.

"He's single." Bonnie smirked.

"He's not bad in the sack either." Elena winked.

"And not over Elena yet." Caroline huffed. "I'm not being second choice again." she said as she began to assemble the assorted cosmetics and brushes the girls would need to finish off their looks before the guys arrived.

"It was a curse." Elena complained.

"She's right." Bonnie agreed. "If it hadn't have been for the curse, they probably wouldn't have even noticed each other. The elixir should be working by now. Has he said that he feels any different?" Bonnie asked looking between Caroline and Elena who both shrugged, Stefan hadn't fully confided in either of them.

"How exactly does the elixir work anyway?" Caroline asked Bonnie as she started to put her make-up on.

"Qetsiyah didn't really say." Bonnie shrugged as she turned to Elena. "Did Emily say anything to you about it?" she asked as Elena frowned and shook her head.

"So let me get this straight." Caroline narrowed her eyes. "You, Stefan and Damon, all took some mysterious potion to wipe out a bloodline, whatever that means, and none of you guys bothered to question what it actually did?" she asked surprised. "Seriously?"

"She said it wouldn't hurt us." Elena insisted.

"That's what I was told." Bonnie agreed.

"So nobody thinks it's a little strange that Emily Bennett would make a witchy brew so that two vampire soulmates can live happily ever after, and helps the other vampire to stop being a miserable lovesick puppy?" Caroline asked. "Doesn't this all sound a little bit too good to be true?" she asked waving her mascara wand around as Bonnie and Elena looked at each other nervously. "It could have had werewolf venom in it." she said glaring at Bonnie and Elena.

"Well it didn't!" Elena stated. "We're all here, alive and well." she added smugly as she put her hand to her mouth and yawned.

"Too much sex." Bonnie giggled.

"I wish..." Elena grumbled.

"What?" Bonnie and Caroline asked in unison.

"I meant tonight." Elena stared at her friends. "No time for sex tonight, it's the resurrection remember." she reminded them.

"Yeah, I know." Bonnie sighed.

"Have you worked out who you're resurrecting yet Bonnie?" Caroline asked.

"No." Bonnie frowned. "It's an indestructible immortal, who must be dead, that's all it says." she shrugged.

"A dead indestructible immortal?" Elena laughed.

"Maybe it means a dead Original?" Caroline suggested.

"You think it could be Kol?" Elena asked looking at Caroline and then Bonnie.

"Or Mikael, or Finn." Caroline offered as Bonnie and Elena pulled disgusted faces. "What about the girl Silas made immortal/" she asked.

"You mean Amara?" Bonnie said shaking her head. "She was crazy in love with Silas. I doubt it would be her." she explained. "Kol would make sense though. He wanted Silas destroyed." she said.

"So what, we're cutting our prom night short to go and possibly wake up Kol?" Caroline huffed. "Count me out." she said.

"It's fine." Bonnie shrugged. "It only needs me, Elena, Stefan and Damon to be there." she told them.

"Why again, do all three of us need to be there?" Elena asked.

"Because you drank the elixir." Bonnie explained.

"Which leaves me at the prom dateless." Caroline complained. "Okay, so I'll come." she sighed. "What about Jeremy? What's he doing after you leave?" she asked Bonnie.

"He's coming with us." Elena nodded.

"What time are we leaving the prom?" Caroline asked.

"It needs to be done a the witch house during the first full moon after the elixir was taken, which is why we're doing it tonight." Bonnie told them. "The full moon doesn't crest until almost eleven, and I need to set up a few things first, but it shouldn't take too long." she smiled.

"Then what do we do?" Caroline asked. "Just go back to the boarding house and wait for Kol to arrive?" she waved her hand as Elena and Bonnie shrugged. "Does it tell you to leave a note?" she asked sarcastically. "And if you don't know who you're resurrecting, how do you know who's body you need to take with you?"

"We don't need the body." Bonnie told her getting up.

Elena checked the time on her phone. "We need to get changed." she suddenly said as she looked up at Bonnie. "It'll all be fine." she smiled getting up as Caroline followed before they headed upstairs to change for the prom.

Damon, Stefan and Jeremy arrived with a couple of minutes to spare dressed for the evening in their tuxedo's and their corsage's. Jeremy walked as up to the door as Damon and Stefan followed, and opened it.

"You decent in there?" he shouted upstairs. "Come on in." he said to Damon and Stefan.

"Just a minute." Elena called down. "You guys wait in the kitchen." she added as Damon and Stefan followed Jeremy to the kitchen.

Bonnie made her way downstairs first wearing a long black strapless mermaid dress with gold thread interwoven into the material to give a shimmer. Jeremy smiled shyly as he walked over and gave her yellow rose corsage to compliment her dress and kissed her on the cheek.

Caroline followed wearing a floor length lavender dress, with silver sequins on the straps and below the breast in an old roman style emphasizing her figure. Stefan kissed Caroline's hand as he gave her a white rose corsage.

Elena was the last to emerge wearing a red strapless floor length gown which was corseted with shimmering beads to make it look like it was it had a diamond waistband. Damon grinned as he took Elena's hand and placed the corsage around her wrist before pulling her close to him.

"I don't like the accessories." he whispered in her ear as she frowned at him. "I've got something better." he smirked as he pulled out a black velvet jewelry box and opened it revealing a diamond necklace and matching earrings.

"Who did you compel those from?" Stefan asked sarcastically.

"Are they real?" Bonnie asked wide-eyed.

"Of course they're real." Damon replied sounding insulted before turning to Stefan. "While you were tied up with Lexi de-ripperfying yourself, I was busy playing with stocks and shares." he smiled smugly as everyone looked at him in shock. "I was expecting to get Katherine out of the tomb and I suspected she would be high maintenance." he explained. "In the process I made a lot of money, and my girl deserves the best." he added as he fastened the diamond necklace around Elena's neck.

"Damon...this is too much." Elena said shocked.

"Nothing is too much for you." he whispered back as he kissed her on the lips.

"Okay...I'm going to be sick." Jeremy interrupted. "Either hurry up or get a room." he said looking at Elena who was now wrapped tightly in Damon's arms.

"Um...Little Gilbert." Damon raised his eyebrows. "I'm driving, so unless you have a deep seated desire to walk to the prom, I suggest you be quiet now." he joked, before turning to Stefan and Caroline. "You guys ready?" he asked as they nodded and headed out to Stefan's car. "Witchy?" he asked.

"I'm ready." Bonnie replied. "You got everything?" she asked.

"It's in the trunk of the car." Damon assured her as they all headed off to the prom.

Three and a half hours later, they assembled in the parking lot to go and change to head to the old witch house for Bonnie to perform the resurrection spell. Caroline and Jeremy were only attending because otherwise they would have been abandoned by their dates. They'd left just after Matt and Rebekah had been crowned prom King and Queen, even though Elena suspected Rebekah may have used compulsion for it, but she was happy for Matt.

On the way to the witch house, they stopped off at the boarding house to change into more sensible clothes for lurking around the witch house at night than prom dresses, tux's, corsage's and diamond jewelry. By the time they arrived, the moon was at it's apex and Bonnie was setting up her stuff which consisted of candles, salt, the quartz talisman, the tombstone, water and the book Emily had dug up from the basement of the house. Caroline and Jeremy had opted to wait in the car for them after Bonnie telling them it would take no longer than fifteen minutes to perform the spell.

The first thing Bonnie did when they reached the basement was light a the fire in the fireplace to give them some light to work with. She also lit some additional surrounding candles. On the ground Bonnie drew a circle with the salt which was surrounded by five unlit candles, four of the candles were to represent Bonnie, Elena, Damon and Stefan, the fifth one was to represent the resurrection of the indestructible immortal who they believed to be Kol. Five glasses of water were laid next to the candles whilst the tombstone lay inside the circle next to the quartz and the book. Bonnie had already memorized the spell but she had been instructed to place the book inside the circle. They all entered the circle as Elena held hands with both Damon and Bonnie as Stefan did the same.

Bonnie began chanting the spell under her breath as Elena and Damon looked around the basement to see if anything was happening whilst Stefan focused all of his attention on Bonnie. Initially nothing chaned and Elena began to wonder if the spell was working, until the quartz caught her eye as she saw it melting into the ground. As soon as the quartz melted four of the candles lit up, the one representing the immortal was the only one which didn't have a flame burning from it's wick. Suddenly the water from Damon's glass began to disappear as Elena's began to fill up, once Damon's glass was empty and the water had magically transferred into Elena's glass, it started to boil. The same then happened with Stefan and Bonnie's water, except theirs filled the glass belonging to the immortal, which also began to boil as the candle also lit up. The ground began to shake as everyone looked around, expecting the immortal on to turn up, but nobody arrived. Bonnie dropped Damon and Stefan's hands and knelt down, one hand on the tombstone and the other clutching her necklace as she began to channel the extra power from Qetsiyah. The glasses began to boil frantically and the water soon began to disappear, when suddenly the ground stopped shaking and the glasses imploded.

"It's done." Bonnie finally said as Elena, Damon and Stefan let go of each others hands.

"So do we just wait here until someone turns up?" Stefan asked frowning.

"I..." Bonnie started but stopped in her tracks as Elena dropped to the floor unconscious. "Elena!" she cried out as Damon caught her in his arms and knelt down to the ground.

"Elena." he whispered, his voice full of fear at the thought of losing her. "What did you do?" he growled as he looked up at Bonnie.

"It says nothing here about it affecting anyone." Bonnie argued back.

"Well something happened." Damon yelled. "Vampires don't pass out unless there's werewolf venom or some witchy interference." he frowned as he brushed Elena's hair away from her face.

"Wake up." he pleaded to her, his face crumpled up with fear. However that fear was short lived as Elena opened her eyes.

"Damon?" she looked up at him confused. "What happened?" she asked weakly.

"You fainted." Damon said, visibly relieved as he kissed her forehead.

"That doesn't sound good." Elena muttered.

"There was a lot of energy being transferred over and focused on you." Bonnie told her. "Whatever that energy was, I'm guessing it overwhelmed you." she offered.

"Can that happen." Stefan asked as Damon helped Elena to her feet who was initially a little weak and unsteady.

"In humans and witches, yes." Bonnie told them. "Channeling too much energy can cause someone to pass out or..." Bonnie stopped as Elena ran over to the corner of the room and began to throw up the jello shots from earlier. "...Or even be sick." she winced as Damon rushed over to help Elena by keeping her hair out of her face and rubbing her back. "But I've never seen it happen to a vampire before." she frowned.

"I say we get out of here." Stefan suggested. "If this immortal wants us, he or she will have to come and find us." he added as Damon and Bonnie nodded whilst Elena was trying to compose herself.

"Feel any better?" Damon asked Elena after she'd finished being sick.

"A little." she replied groggily as Damon swept her up in his arms bridal style. "Is this really necessary?" she asked. "I'm not a feeble human anymore." she insisted.

"No you're not." Damon agreed. "But, vampires don't pass out and get sick unless it's werewolf venom." he insisted. "Let's get you home and in bed." he added as he slowly carried Elena upstairs.

"Elena." Jeremy cried out, rushing towards her as Damon put her to the ground, but kept his arms wrapped tightly around her to support her should she pass out again. "Are you okay?" her brother asked as Damon let go of Elena so she and Jeremy could hug.

"I'm fine." Elena smiled weakly, not fooling anyone. "I'm just a little tired. Bonnie says the spell may have overwhelmed me a little." she told him as Damon helped her get in the car.

"Everyone's free to stay at the boarding house tonight." Damon announced. "There's plenty of rooms going spare." he smiled as Bonnie, Jeremy and Caroline nodded, realizing that Damon was going to drive straight back to the boarding house and nobody was getting a lift home, however nobody minded as they were all too worried about Elena.

The following day Elena was still under the weather, she'd been sick a further two times in the night, and although she wasn't vomiting blood, she couldn't keep much human food down except coffee, which they needed to keep their bodies warm. Her appetite for blood had increased as she couldn't go near alcohol claiming she felt sick at the smell, which also meant anyone going near her was banned from having alcohol, which was leading to a very pissed off Damon.

The good news was that Elena showed no signs of werewolf venom being in her system. However by the second day, Elena was still no better, she wanted to sleep a lot and was frequently feeling queasy, even if the sickness had subsided a little. Bonnie had scoured through her grimoires and had researched everything she could to see if there was anything that she could find that might give a clue to what was wrong with Elena. The other issue that Bonnie was having to deal with was missing immortals. Silas was still nowhere to be found and the immortal they had supposedly raised had yet to appear.

Bonnie was sat in the parlor of the boarding house with Jeremy, Damon, Stefan and Caroline, going through some of the grimoires she'd taken from Luka and his dad to see if they could find any indication that vampires could get ill through magic. She had even tried using her own magic to see if she was getting any bad vibes from Elena, but nothing had changed. Her future still showed a man, fog and a crow, although the fog was far more dense now, but Bonnie knew that was Damon and considering their relationship, it wasn't entirely a surprise.

Whilst Elena was upstairs in bed sleeping, Damon was constantly on edge, and was now pacing in front of the fireplace, having not slept since the night Elena passed out. He was practically out of his mind with worry, and even if it turned out to not be a serious illness for Elena, Damon getting too cranky and going on an angry rampage was not good for Mystic Falls, meaning they needed to find out what was wrong as quickly as they could.

"Maybe the elixir lowered her immune system and she picked up a bug?" Jeremy offered.

"Vampires don't have an immune system." Damon snapped back. The combination of lack of sleep, lack of alcohol, but most importantly, the frantic worry about Elena was making him extremely grumpy, and everyone felt like they were having to tread on eggshells around him.

"Actually Damon..." Stefan said thoughtfully. "You know, he might be onto something." he added turning to Bonnie. "Elena's water started to boil first didn't it?" he asked as Bonnie nodded. "What if, to raise the immortal, it had to draw on the magic inside us which makes us vampires."

"Why would that affect Elena and not us?" Damon frowned.

"Maybe it did a little, just not enough for you to notice, but because she's a new vampire it affected her more." Caroline piped up. "You two are much older and the magic inside of you has been fed by far more human blood over the years than Elena has had. Maybe she has a human illness." she suggested.

"It's the only option we haven't considered yet." Bonnie agreed.

"Maybe it's time to get a human doctor." Stefan suggested.

"Meredith?" Damon asked.

"Can you think of anyone else?" Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"Fine." Damon rolled his eyes. "I'll call Meredith." he huffed as he got his phone and and went to the library to talk to her in relative peace and quiet.

Four hours later Meredith arrived at the boarding house and was upstairs with Elena trying to find out what was wrong. Out of concern for Meredith's well being, Stefan had taken Damon out to have coffee at the Grill as they were worried that if Meredith diagnosed some deadly disease, Damon could hurt her. Caroline was dealing with planning a graduation party, and Jeremy was working at the Grill, meaning it was just Bonnie who was there when Meredith arrived to see Elena.

Bonnie took her upstairs to Damon's room where Elena way laying in the middle of his huge bed.

"Wow." Meredith's eyes nearly popped out at the size of his suite. "This place is bigger than my apartment." she smiled sitting next to Elena on the bed as Bonnie sat on the bed on the opposite side to Meredith, holding Elena's hand in supportive.

"I know." Elena smiled. "I love this bed, although I wish I wasn't spending so much time in it." she sighed. "But Damon is being overprotective and won't let me get up until I'm feeling better." she said.

"So what exactly happened to make you think that a doctor who deals with humans would be any help." she frowned.

"Bonnie." Elena prompted her friend, who proceeded to tell Meredith all about the night in the witch house.

"Had you been feeling off before that?" Meredith asked.

"I'd been feeling a little tired for a couple of days before that." Elena told her.

"So it couldn't have been the spell." Meredith replied.

"That wasn't the only thing that we did." Bonnie said. "Just over three weeks ago we performed a ritual to make sure Stefan and Elena don't fall back in love again." she told her.

"Why?" Meredith asked, so Bonnie explained the Silas story and the curse.

"Elena, Damon and Stefan all took the elixir and that was it until the next full moon." Bonnie explained as she finished telling the story.

"So this is all to stop Stefan and Elena continuing the bloodline." Meredith clarified, as Bonnie and Elena nodded. "So whatever it is, it sounds like it might have been caused by the elixir itself, but has taken time to show it's teeth, so to speak." she smiled as Elena rolled her eyes.

"So what do you suggest?" Bonnie asked.

"Well I'm a human doctor and I can only look at it and see what I would suspect if you were human." Meredith told them. "Would you want me to try that approach?" she asked as Bonnie looked at Elena who nodded her head at Meredith.

"We've run out of supernatural options." Elena sighed. "Maybe we should resort to scientific ones." she shrugged.

"Well I need to run a few checks." Meredith explained before looking to Bonnie. "Could you go and make me a coffee?" she asked. "I came straight from surgery and I've not had my fix yet." she smiled as Bonnie nodded taking the hint.

"Twenty minutes later Meredith appeared in the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"You found out what's wrong?" Bonnie asked as Meredith nodded. "What is it?" she asked as suddenly the front door flew open and Damon appeared.

"That was quick." Meredith said, sounding a little surprised.

"How is she?" Damon asked panicking. "You know what's wrong with her?" Meredith nodded.

"It's nothing life threatening." Meredith assured him. "Go up and see her. I'll let her tell you." she added as she checked her phone. "Well I need to get going. Elena has pretty much everything she needs right now." she said, drinking her coffee down in one before getting up to leave.

"Thanks doc." Damon said quickly before he vamp-sped out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom to see Elena sat up in bed, her eyes wide with shock and slightly red-rimmed from what Damon could only assume was tears from crying. Confused, Damon sat on the bed beside Elena and took her hand, circling the back of it with his thumb to soothe her.

They sat like that for a few minutes whilst Damon waited for Elena to tell him what Meredith had told her. However when Elena didn't sat anything, Damon knew he would have to be the one to break the silence. "Meredith says it's nothing life threatening." he offered gently, hoping that wouldn't cause her to cry. Elena looked up at Damon and smiled, but he could see tears were there, ready to fall. "What is it?" he asked, beginning to worry. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant!" Elena said.

  
  


 


	36. Chapter 36

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

** Warning smutty chapter ahead. **

Damon had been sat in the grill with Stefan drinking coffee as Elena couldn't bear to be near him if he'd had alcohol, when he'd received the text from Meredith to say she'd seen Elena and he was fine to return as she be leaving the boarding house soon. Without a word to Stefan, Damon put his coffee down and walked out of the Grill, got straight into his car and drove straight to the boarding house, never seemingly dropping below eighty, until he got there, which took less than ten minutes. He rushed inside and listened out for the psycho doctor's voice, and immediately discovered she was in the kitchen with Witchy.

"That was quick." Meredith said, sounding a little surprised as he appeared after he vamp-sped straight over to talk to her.

"How is she?" Damon asked panicking. "You know what's wrong with her?" Meredith smiled back at him and nodded.

"It's nothing life threatening." Meredith assured him shaking her head. "Go up and see her. I'll let her tell you." she added as she checked her phone. "Well I need to get going. Elena has pretty much everything she needs right now." she said, drinking down a cup of coffee in one, before getting up to leave.

"Thanks doc." Damon said quickly, not really paying attention, before he vamp-sped out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom to see Elena sat up in bed, her eyes wide with shock and slightly red-rimmed from what Damon could only assume was tears from crying. Confused, Damon sat on the bed beside Elena and took her hand, circling the back of it with his thumb to soothe her.

They sat like that for a few minutes whilst Damon waited for Elena to let him know what Meredith had told her. However when Elena didn't say anything, Damon knew he would have to be the one to break the silence. "Meredith says it's nothing life threatening." he offered gently, hoping that wouldn't cause her to cry. Elena looked up at Damon as she tried to smile, but he could see tears were there, ready to fall. "What is it?" he asked, beginning to worry. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant!" Elena said.

"What?!" Damon asked confused.

"Meredith thinks I'm pregnant." Elena shrugged.

"That's impossible." Damon frowned. "Vampires can't procreate." he insisted as Elena raised an eyebrow. "So..." he said slowly. "Meredith thinks you're pregnant, but obviously she can't prove it." Damon shook his head in disbelief.

"The symptoms fit." Elena told him. "And I took a pregnancy test which came back positive." she admitted.

"That doesn't mean anything." Damon disagreed. "Human medical tests don't work on vampires, I could take a pregnancy test and it would come back positive." he joked.

"I think she's right." Elena put her hand on top of Damon's to soothe him as she could see he was on edge. "But we need to talk to Bonnie, we need to know exactly what that elixir was designed to do." she insisted, which seemed to snap Damon out of his denial.

"The elixir?" Damon asked as Elena nodded. "She thinks the elixir may have something to do with it." he added as Elena nodded again.

"She suspects it may have given us a window of fertility." Elena told him.

"What for?" Damon frowned.

"To stop the bloodlines." Elena replied. "We need Bonnie and the book." she told him as she tried to get up to get out of bed, but Damon stopped her.

"Oh no." Damon said. "You're staying right here." he insisted as he went to get Bonnie.

Elena went to the bathroom while she waited for Damon to find Bonnie. As much as the thought of being pregnant scared her, telling Damon had scared her more. She'd had no idea how he was going to take it, and unfortunately he was still in the denial phase which meant she still didn't know. Admittedly, Elena had been skeptical herself when Meredith had suggested it might be a possibility, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the only way to stop her from continuing the bloodline with Stefan, was to make sure she didn't have children with him. If she had children with someone else, then the bloodline would end. What she needed, was for Bonnie to go through the family tree stuff she'd mentioned to her in the book Emily gave to Bonnie, to see if it would shed some light on the matter.

Elena finished her business, flushed the toilet and washed her hands as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different, but she knew that her world was about to change, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. Putting her hands on her stomach, Elena lifted her head to the sky. "Mom, I wish you were here. I'm so sorry." she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she leaned her back up against the bathroom wall. Sliding down the wall, she put her face in her hands and began to cry. Elena was so engrossed in her tears, that even with vampire hearing, she didn't notice Damon and Bonnie enter the room. The first thing which alerted her to their presence was Damon's arms wrapped around her as he picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the bed and placed her down in it.

"Hush..." Damon said soothingly, stroking her hair. "It's gonna be okay." he said, trying to reassure her.

"How can you say this is going to be okay?" Elena suddenly snapped looking at a clearly shocked Damon. "You're not the one who's got to go to school pregnant." she said.

"Nobody needs to know yet." Damon soothed her. "School will be out and graduation will be over before you start to show." he added much to Elena's surprise.

"You're not angry about this?" Elena asked Damon, narrowing her eyes as he shrugged.

"I haven't had time to...process yet." Damon frowned. "And if I get too angry, Judgy over there is just itching to give me a headache." he winced as Elena looked around him and noticed Bonnie stood just inside the door with the book Emily gave her in her hands.

Bonnie took that as her cue to join them as she crawled onto the bed and hugged Elena. "I'm so sorry." Bonnie pleaded. "I didn't realize this is what the elixir would do to you." she apologized. "If only I'd have known..."

"None of us did." Elena agreed glancing up at Damon who nodded in agreement.

Bonnie pulled away from Elena, straightened her back and pushed her chin up in an authoritative manner. "For the time being, I think we should look at this rationally and try and see what we are dealing with." she suggested, opening the book.

"Please enlighten me." Damon groaned as he settled on Elena's other side, never letting go of her hand.

"A lot of this book talks about how the Travelers broke off into factions after Silas gave Amara the immortality spell. Eventually there were three were different covens." Bonnie told them. "A few remained as The Travelers, some broke off and formed what is now known as the Gemini coven, and Qetsiyah's family formed what is now known as the Bennett coven." she explained.

"What has this got to do with the birds and the bees and an a magical elixir?" Damon asked raising an eyebrow.

"Silas's family were unhappy with what Qetsiyah did, so two bloodlines were created to curse her throughout all eternity." Bonnie told them as she opened the book. "This is the Amara or Petrova shadow-self line." she said pointing to a diagram of a family tree. "It is always continued by the eldest female." Bonnie turned over the page and pointed to a picture of another family tree. "This is the Silas line, and this family tree is always continued by the eldest male, known as the Silas heir." she explained.

"But Stefan is the doppelganger and he isn't the eldest male." Elena frowned as Bonnie nodded.

"There was an anomaly which I couldn't work out." Bonnie told them, then looking at Damon. "But you and Stefan are the last on the list. You are two brothers, and every time there are only two brothers, the two bloodlines meet." she said.

"Meet?" Damon asked.

"There's a pattern every time the doppelganger's occur." Bonnie sighed as Damon and Elena looked at her confused. "Every time the Amara doppelganger occurs, the male line has just two sons. The youngest is the Silas doppelganger." she said as both Damon and Elena looked on in surprise. "The Amara and Silas doppelgangers then always have a child who is always a girl who continues the Amara line." Bonnie told them.

"Who continues the Silas line?" Elena asked.

"The older male sibling, the Silas heir." Bonnie smiled.

"That's me." Damon frowned as Bonnie smiled nodding.

"By you two having a kid together, you break both bloodlines." Bonnie explained. "The reoccurring curse cannot continue."

"So we've fulfilled the prophesy." Elena asked.

"You need to have a healthy baby first." Bonnie shrugged. "The Amara line only works with the first born female of the Amara doppelganger."

"Does that mean that there was another Amara doppelganger back around in 1864?" Damon asked as Bonnie shook her head.

"This was the anomaly that I couldn't understand." Bonnie said. "But then I realized that your father moved to Mystic Falls before you were born." she explained. "The Bennett witch line had already settled here, although most of them had been rounded up and burned at the old witch house." Bonnie said sadly. "I think it could be the presence of a Bennett witch what triggers the doppelgangers. But Katherine was a vampire, which also cause a flaw in the curse, and she wasn't too far from Mystic Falls. Combined, they must have triggered the Silas doppelganger." she added.

"Why didn't you tell us all of this before?" Elena asked.

"Because I didn't know myself." Bonnie admitted sheepishly. "Before Meredith left she told me she was on her way to the town archives as she was putting something together for the historical society about the Fell family tree." she told them. "So I asked her to have a quick look at the book and she pointed out the anomalies straight away." she sighed. "She was the one who told me your father moved to Mystic Falls and that you were the first Silas heir to be born here." she added looking at Damon.

"Fate brought us together over the centuries so me and Elena could have a baby." Damon said sarcastically.

"So this was never an anti-love potion." Elena said. "It was a fertility elixir." she frowned as Bonnie closed the book and nodded.

"What else is in there?" Damon asked.

"It's all about the fighting between the covens and the curses and spells that were placed on each other." Bonnie told them. "Right now, none of those are important." she said.

"If this baby is born, the Travelers and Silas lose their magic right?" Damon clarified as Bonnie nodded. "If they lose it, then were the hell does it all go?" he asked as they all looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces.

"I don't know." Bonnie said quietly.

"Well then I think you should find out." Damon told her as he heard the front door open. "Stefan's here." he said out loud for Bonnie's benefit. "Shall we tell him?" he asked Elena who nodded. "My room Stefan." he said, loud enough for Stefan's vampire hearing, as he quickly emerged into the room.

"Hey." Stefan smiled at Elena before looking around the room at the worried faces. "What's going on." he asked, traces of fear creeping into his voice. "Did Meredith work out what was wrong?" he added as everyone nodded in reply.

"It turns out that it is related to taking the elixir." Damon explained. "It caused...complications." he frowned.

"What type of complications?" Stefan asked raising an eyebrow.

"The type of complication that in around eight or nine months time, will require a devoted uncle to change diapers." Damon smirked, putting his hand on Elena's stomach protectively.

"What?" Stefan asked confused.

"I'm pregnant." Elena told him smiling, as she placed her hand over Damon's. She could feel Damon was warming to the idea, which soothed her, and gave her a confidence that everything would be okay.

"How did that happen?" Stefan asked.

"Didn't anyone give you the birds and the bees lecture when we were kids?" Damon asked as Stefan rolled his eyes.

"I know about that part." Stefan groaned. "But vampires can't have kids." he frowned.

"You take a two thousand year old prophesy, a one off fancy witchy brew, a Bennett witch, two soulmates and some red hot sex and you make a baby." Damon grinned.

"How about, Stefan and I leave you two to get used to the idea of being parents, whilst I go through the technical bits with Stefan?" Bonnie offered as Damon and Elena nodded before looking and smiling at each other, a glint of happiness beginning to shine through, as Bonnie frowned at them before she and Stefan left the room.

Stefan and Bonnie headed downstairs to the parlor whilst Bonnie was trying to understand what she'd just witnessed. When she'd first seen Damon and Elena, they were both completely on edge and upset. Within the space of a few moments, they were giddy with happiness. Bonnie knew vampires had heightened emotions and that they could change on a whim, but even this was unexpected. Bonnie gestured to Stefan without speaking to look at her phone as she asked if they could go somewhere where Damon and Elena couldn't hear them. Stefan frowned before leading Bonnie into the kitchen and switching on the dishwasher.

"Speak quietly." he told her as Bonnie stood close to Stefan so she'd be able to hear him speak.

"They weren't like this when I got to Damon's room." Bonnie frowned. "That baby could be anything." she told Stefan as he looked at her confused.

"Silas is channeling two magical bloodlines, your family line and Elena's." Bonnie explained. "It's what is giving him the power to do limited magic, even as an immortal." she said. "If Silas lowers the veil and dies, the Travelers get the magic which Silas is channeling, and the curse will continue. But if the prophesy is fulfilled, neither Silas or the Travelers will have the magic." she told him. "What if the magic goes to the baby?" she suggested as Stefan frowned.

"What makes you think it goes to the baby?" he asked.

"Well it has to go somewhere." Bonnie whispered. "And the wording of the prophesy says Silas will weaken." she said as Stefan narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What if the baby is already weakening him?" she asked.

"What makes you suspect that?" Stefan frowned.

"Something changed while we were talking upstairs." Bonnie said thoughtfully. "When I got there only a few minutes earlier, they were upset and angry. You saw them when we left. They were over the moon." she shook her head.

"So are you suggesting that the fetus is doing that already?" Stefan asked in shock.

"I guess it could be possible." Bonnie replied.

"But we only took the elixir three weeks ago." he frowned. "Surely a three week old fetus isn't going to be that powerful." he said as fear began to eat into his voice.

"It's the prophesy." Bonnie said as she opened the book and read out the relevant part. " _ The curse will be broken when soulmates come together in death. They shall bring forth the light of the one to draw the power of all the ancient Travelers. Silas will weaken from the power of the one. _ If this baby is the 'One', it's channeling all of the power of the ancient Travelers, including Silas." she said tapping the page of the book as they looked at each other. "Silas was the most powerful witch ever." Bonnie explained. "But if this baby steals his magic as well as the magic of the rest of the Travelers, then who knows what this baby can be or do." she said.

"So what do you suggest?" Stefan asked.

"I think we need to check the grimoires, see if there's anything about magical bloodlines." Bonnie suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Stefan frowned.

"Do you want to help?" Bonnie asked. "I think they need a little privacy right now." she said pointing to the ceiling as Stefan nodded.

"Come on. Let's go." he said as they left the house and got into Bonnie's car.

"You seem really happy about all of this." Elena eyed Damon suspiciously. "Why?" she asked.

"Well, if the prophesy is broken, we're stuck together for all eternity." Damon sighed dramatically. "We only wanted the cure to have kids, well we no longer need the cure." he grinned. "So we've got all eternity together after all, with the added bonus of having a family. It's a win win." he smiled.

"And after they've grown up and died?" Elena said sadly.

"Grandchildren, and great grandchildren." Damon offered.

"I guess." Elena sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Damon asked.

"Surprisingly good." Elena said, momentarily taken aback as a thought occurred to her whilst Damon kissed her on the forehead. "You don't think that this happened immediately after we took the elixir do you?" she asked looking into Damon's beautiful blue eyes.

"You were a little eager." Damon winked.

"Maybe I'm feeling a little eager now." Elena smirked as she began to run her fingers up the inside of Damon's thigh.

"You sure it's okay?" Damon frowned. "It won't hurt the baby?" he asked as Elena burst out laughing.

"No Damon. It won't hurt the baby." she shook her head, still laughing. "I asked Meredith." she smiled. "And do you know what she said?" as Damon shook his head in confusion. "If this runs like a normal pregnancy, I will have heightened hormones." she told him.

"Vampires don't have hormones." Damon frowned.

"Has any vampire ever been tested?" Elena asked as her fingers made their way to Damon's zipper, as Damon frowned. "We have sexual urges. Are they still there when we flip the switch?" she asked.

"They don't go away." Damon agreed as he put his hand on top of Elena's to stop her from getting into his jeans. As much as he wanted to make love to her, he was worried about the risks involved.

"So, it means sex isn't emotional in vampires, which means the urges comes from somewhere else." Elena insisted.

"Feeding." Damon told her adamantly.

"The elixir triggered out bodies to respond like human bodies, which means there must be some hormones there." Elena insisted, ignoring Damon's comment. "Meredith wants to run some tests on us both." she smiled as Damon's face turned to horror. "What's wrong?" Elena frowned. "It's only blood tests, to make sure that everything is working fine." she assured him as Damon visibly relaxed. "Damon, you've been skewered, sliced and diced. Surely you're not afraid of a little needle." Elena teased.

"No." Damon pouted. "I just don't like the sound of being a lab rat." he shuddered.

"Just kidding." Elena laughed. "She just wants to check to see if anything has changed with your blood after taking the elixir." she explained.

"Meredith still has some of my blood?" Damon asked as Elena nodded. "I thought Ric destroyed it all?" he frowned.

"She told me she still had a couple of samples left at home." Elena explained. "She wants to see if the elixir has changed anything else." she said. "My tests will just be routine pregnancy stuff." she assured him.

"Fine." Damon sighed in agreement.

"Back to the hormone part." Elena reminded him. "My hormones are telling me that you just being here is making me feel really turned on." she whispered seductively into his ear as Damon eyed her suspiciously.

"Um..." Damon started to protest.

Deciding she was done being subtle, Elena hitched her leg over Damon and straddled his hips, whilst she got his hands and pinned him up against the headboard. Elena then lowered her head to his so their noses were practically touching.

"I said, you being here is making me feel really turned on." she growled fiercely as she rotated her hips, feeling Damon harden underneath her. "Is there anything you can do to help me out?" she asked huskily as she lowered her lips to his, however Damon pulled his face away momentarily, causing Elena's heart to sink.

"You sure this is okay?" Damon asked tentatively.

Elena grinned. "Oh yeah. It's completely normal." she assured him. "It is the one pregnancy symptom that only you can relieve." she smirked. "And as the expectant father, I hope you'll take your role  _ very seriously _ ." Elena nodded with a smile as she realized that she'd finally gotten through to him.

Damon lifted his head back as Elena bent down once more to kiss him, this time he didn't move away, instead he kissed her with a passion and fervor which she'd come to recognize being when Damon desperately needed her for more than just sex, but for reassurance. Outwardly Damon was cocky and arrogant, but Elena knew him better, beneath that cocky exterior was a man who was very insecure, and his desire to be loved unconditionally was a great motivator for him. Whenever he felt insecure, his kisses were slightly different, and Elena knew what he wanted, he needed to be marked as hers. However, this was going to be a little trickier than usual, she wasn't sure whether blood sharing was a good idea and she was in desperate need of sexual relief.

Elena pulled back and cupped Damon's face in her hands. "I love you." she whispered, as she kissed him again, but more chastely this time.

"I know." he replied with a shy smile.

"Just being near you is driving me crazy." Elena assured him. "I need you." she begged, her voice full of emotion.

Taking the hint, without a word Damon ripped the tank top she was wearing right down the middle, exposing her bra-less naked body. Damon began kissing her neck and collarbone, teasingly swiping his tongue up her jugular. However, Damon must have sensed her hesitation with blood sharing as he didn't take it any further. Instead he ripped her pajama shorts apart, revealing nothing underneath, and slipped his hand inside and began to massage her nub much to Elena's relief. Damon pinched one of Elena's nipples, but instead of the usual pleasurable sensation, it was quite tender.

"Ow." she cried as Damon stopped what he was doing.

"You okay?" he asked in a panic.

"My breasts are a little sensitive." Elena told him. "Probably best to be gentle with them." she frowned, as Damon kissed her nipples gently whilst staring up at her for confirmation that his gesture was fine.

Although still tender, this action didn't hurt her, so she nodded, giving him the go ahead. Damon proceeded to lick them and kiss them so gently, that he soon had her writhing around in pleasure. However Elena needed to feel Damon's body against hers and he was still fully clothed. She grabbed the hem of his black t-shirt and pulled it up, and with the help of Damon lifting his arms, lifted it over his head so she could view his glorious body, but it still wasn't enough. She slowly ran her fingers down the hard planes of his chest, causing Damon to groan with pleasure, until she found her target, his jeans. She began to unfasten them, but from the angle she was sat, it was proving tricky.

Damon raised his hips and began to try and remove his jeans, but with Elena straddling his hips it was impossible. Taking the hint, Elena moved and removed what remained of her destroyed PJ's and watched whilst Damon removed his clothes at vamp-speed, revealing his erection, causing Elena to lick her lips in anticipation of what was to come. Damon gently pushed Elena back down on the bed and hovered above her for a moment before his lips came crashing down on hers a their tongues began to fight for dominance. Elena scraped her fingers through Damon's raven hair whilst his fingers ghosted down the side of her body until his hand cupped her behind. The tip of his cock, tantalizingly brushing up against her entrance, but Damon wasn't ready to go there yet. He began to edge his way down her body, remembering to be sensitive around her breasts as he made his way further down. When he reached her stomach and kissed it, another wave of joy washed over him, creating a feeling of euphoria like from which he'd never felt before. However he managed to drag himself away and although the feeling died a little, it didn't dissipate completely and immediately returned the moment he placed his hand on Elena's stomach, knowing that he'd need to as she was so turned on, she was likely to buck the moment he touched her.

Elena lay on her back in anticipation of what Damon was going to do. She'd never felt so turned on in her entire life, so much so it was borderline painful. As Damon made his way down her body, placing languid kisses over her skin, he stopped at her stomach and his face changed to and expression of pure joy. Elena momentarily wondered if the magic was affecting him, but she soon didn't care as his mouth was closing in on her pussy, where she desperately needed his lips, his tongue, his fingers and most importantly she needed him.

Damon spread Elena's legs as he blew into her pussy, sending shock waves through her body before he'd even touched her. However it was nothing compared to the feeling of his tongue tracing the outline of her pussy before he began to gently massage her nub with his thumb. Suddenly she felt his tongue inside her, gently at first, then lathering attention on her folds, before he began to tongue fuck her. Elena nearly screamed at the physical response she had, a heady combination of relief, the strange joyous feeling of earlier and her desperate need for more. Elena grabbed a hold onto Damon's hair and lifted her hips signaling she wanted it harder and deeper.

"Oh fuck...Damon..." she moaned. "Oh yes..oh yes..more, please." she begged as Damon dragged his tongue up her labia and latched his mouth unto her nub and began to suck whilst he inserted two fingers inside of her and began to pump, gently at first then with a little more vigor.

The fire that had been threatening to build up in Elena's body for the last forty minutes was turning into a raging inferno of hot desire. Tingles of electricity were running all over her body like she'd never experienced before. Heat wasn't just pooling in her stomach like it usually did before an orgasm, the heat was everywhere and instead, her pussy felt like it was going to erupt like a volcano. Elena felt like she was losing control, however her she didn't vamp out, she couldn't, but she didn't care, nothing mattered except her impending orgasm. Spasms suddenly began to take over her heated pussy before running up her body, she began to buck her hips as she grabbed the sheets and ripped them to shreds.

"Damon...I can't..." she panted, not knowing what to do as she was beginning to feel a little dizzy, although it was a good dizzy. Damon stopped what he was doing and quickly climbed up the bed and pushed himself inside of her. Suddenly she felt the relief she was craving and it was bliss. Her body wasn't craving an orgasm, it was craving her lover, her soulmate, the father of her unborn child. The feeling of euphoria swept through her body as she raked her fingernails down Damon's back with enough force to draw blood, but she didn't worry as she knew he liked it.

"I need you Elena." Damon whispered huskily, gently grabbing her arms and lacing his fingers into hers as he began to gently thrust, whilst Elena matched his pace with her hips.

"Harder." Elena moaned as Damon upped the pace and force of his love-making.

"I'm not going to last long." Damon panted as he began to moan with pleasure.

"Me either." Elena replied breathlessly as Damon slid his hand between them and found her clit and began to massage it with his finger.

The earlier sensation of a huge impending orgasm returned to Elena's body, however she now had a sense of fulfillment which wasn't there before. Damon's cock inside her had been the missing piece, her body needed to be at one with Damon. Heat pooled in her stomach as she felt her pussy rapidly heat up at the same time, whilst the manipulation of her clit by Damon's talented fingers finally sent her over the edge as the volcano inside her began to erupt.

"Fuck...Damon...yes...yes...oh my god..." she cried out in ecstasy as the spasms running through her pussy clamped down on Damon's cock and tipped him over the edge.

"Oh fuck...Elena...Argh " he cried out as his face scrunched up in the agonizing pleasure of his own orgasm as Elena felt him come inside of her.

Damon's head dropped in exhaustion beside her as he pulled out much earlier than usual as he didn't want to lay on top of her and press down on her sensitive breasts, so he rolled over and lay on his back, pulling Elena into his body whilst she rested her head on his chest.

"Better?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Mhmm." she replied as she absentmindedly drew circles around his nipples before lifting her head and resting her chin on his chest, whilst she stared at him and smiled.

"What?" he asked smiling, closing one eye with mock suspicion.

"I'm hungry." Elena complained, causing Damon to furrow his brow as that was not the answer he was expecting.

"Blood?" Damon asked, unsure what the baby was going to be needing as nourishment.

Elena frowned. "You got any chocolate ice cream?" Elena asked as Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Stefan usually buys the human stuff." Damon shrugged. "Why chocolate ice cream?" he asked confused.

"I want a chocolate ice-cream mixed with blood." Elena grinned as Damon screwed his face up in disgust.

"Gross." he grimaced as Elena pouted. "Fine, do you want me to go see if Stefan bought some chocolate ice-cream so I can mix it with some blood for you?" he asked whilst making a disgusted face.

"Baby has cravings." Elena insisted. "It explains why I've been having these urges for the last couple of weeks." she shrugged. "We'll both go and have a look." she grinned as she jumped up and put on Damon's t-shirt and his boxer briefs, whilst Damon pulled on his jeans. "Going commando." Elena grinned. "I like it."

"Okay, lets go feed this little one's urges." Damon grumbled as he put his hand on Elena's flat stomach before yanking it away quickly and looking at it in shock.

"What happened?" Elena worriedly asked as she saw Damon's face full of shock and awe.

"Wow." he replied as he gingerly placed his hand on her stomach again, making his eyes light up.

"What's going on?" Elena looked at him in confusion.

"I keep getting this weird feeling." Damon frowned as he took Elena's hand and placed it on her stomach with his. "Do you feel it?" he asked as a wave of protectiveness and joy rushed through her. She looked up at Damon and smiled, and removed their hands.

"That's crazy." she said, still smiling. "We really need to tell Bonnie about it." she frowned. "This baby is not a normal baby."

"Nope." Damon agreed popping the letter P. "But for the time being, let's just enjoy the moment. We'll worry after we've talked to Bonnie." he said.

"Okay." Elena nodded in agreement.

"Let's go find you some chocolate blood ice-cream." Damon winced. "Who knows...maybe we'll get rainbows and unicorns after it's been fed." he smirked earning him an elbow in the ribs from Elena as they made their way downstairs. "I'll get some blood from the basement. You search for the ice-cream." he suggested, kissing Elena chastely on the lips as Elena headed towards the kitchen and Damon vamp-sped down to the basement.

Elena opened the refrigerator door to make a search to see if she could find any ice cream when she heard a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it." Damon called out as Elena heard him put the blood bags down on the table and open the front door. "OWWW!" she suddenly heard Damon call out, followed by a thud and a clatter of something being broken. Elena rushed into the parlor to see Damon sprawled on the floor looking up at his assailant. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his jaw.

"For getting Elena pregnant, and for being a dick!" Ric replied before looking up at Elena, who was staring at him in shock. "Hello Elena." he grinned.

  
  


 

 


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

_Elena opened the refrigerator door to make a search to see if she could find any ice cream when she heard a knock at the front door._

" _I'll get it." Damon called out as Elena heard him put the blood bags down on the table and open the front door. "OWWW!" she suddenly heard Damon call out, followed by a thud and a clatter of something being broken. Elena rushed into the parlor to see Damon sprawled on the floor looking up at his assailant. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his jaw._

" _For getting Elena pregnant, and for being a dick!" Ric replied before looking up at Elena, who was staring at him in shock. "Hello Elena." he grinned._

"Ric?" Elena looked at her former guardian and history teacher with a mixture of joy, trepidation and fear. "Are you Ric or Evil Alaric?" she asked frowning, her hands feeling around for anything she could use as a weapon to slow him down should the answer not be the one she was looking for.

"I'm still a vampire." Ric complained. "But I don't want to rid the world of vampires." he smiled. "Although getting rid of this one here..." Ric pointed to Damon who was getting up from the floor. "...might make the world a better place."

"Don't hurt him!" Elena rushed over and stood protectively in front of Damon and folded her arms.

"Um...Elena..." Damon frowned, tapping her on the shoulder as Ric burst into hysterical laughter, prompting Elena to look at him confused and turn to Damon who just shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh man..." Ric complained. "I need a drink." he sighed.

"And he's back." Damon grinned. "Good to see you again buddy." he said patting Ric on the shoulder as he wandered over to the wet bar to pour his friend a drink, whilst Elena backed away and sat on the opposite couch, scrunching up her nose as Ric frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Elena pulled a face of disgust.

"The smell of alcohol makes her feel sick." Damon sighed as he poured one glass and handed it to Ric before walking over to the and sitting down next to Elena, notably without a drink.

"Hahaha..." Ric laughed. "Sucks to be you buddy." he said draining his glass. "Although I could do with something a little..."

"Bloodier?" Damon asked as Ric nodded. "Well you're in luck, we were just about to fix Elena a little...snack." he said as Damon grimaced at what he remembered they were going to make. "I'll get some more blood bags." Damon announced getting up and placing a chaste kiss on Elena's forehead before heading towards the basement.

"So...Damon huh?" Ric asked as Elena nodded back shyly, suddenly realizing that she was only wearing Damon's boxer briefs and his t-shirt, whilst Damon was shirtless, practically shouting to the rafters what they'd both been doing. "How did that happen?" Ric asked. "I thought you were going back to Stefan." he frowned.

"I was." Elena sighed. "But Rebekah ran Matt and me off Wickery Bridge and I became a vampire." Elena shrugged. "How did you know I was pregnant?" she asked.

"I bumped into Meredith on my way here and compelled her to tell me if she knew where you were." Ric shrugged. "She let it slip you were expecting Damon's baby." he frowned. "So going over to the dark side made you fall in love with Damon?" Ric asked confused.

Elena shook her head. "No. I was already in love with him." she told him.

"Then why did you pick Stefan?" Ric asked.

"Because I was cursed to fall in love with Stefan." Elena narrowed her eyes suspiciously, suddenly wondering if she was indeed talking to Ric and not Silas in disguise. "How do I know you're not Silas?" she suddenly asked, putting her hand protectively over her stomach, when she suddenly felt a wave of calm and comfort wash over her.

"Who's Silas?" Ric frowned.

"What's the last thing you remember Ric?" Damon asked as he walked into the parlor with a hand full of blood bags and stood beside Elena, without offering Ric one.

"I remember staking Klaus, then we were fighting and then next thing I know I was a ghost talking to Jeremy." Ric explained. "I also remember you sat by my grave complaining about Japanese lanterns and not getting the girl." he said as Elena looked at Damon.

"The memorial?" Elena asked as Damon nodded.

"How are we supposed to know you're not Silas?" Damon repeated Elena's question.

"Who the hell is this Silas guy?" Ric asked confused.

"I think we need to call Bonnie." Elena said to Damon, ignoring Ric's question.

Damon stared intently at Ric. "If you're Ric, you've got no need to worry." he smirked as he turned back to Elena. "You call her. If this is Ric, then we might as well call the whole Scooby gang and give out the announcements." he said. "Ask her to get some ice-cream, I'll call Stefan." he smiled as they got their phones out whilst Ric sat back on the sofa with his arms folded, waiting for Bonnie.

Half an hour later later, Bonnie and Stefan walked through the door to be greeted by the sight of Damon, who was now wearing a t-shirt and a fully dressed Elena sat on one couch, facing a very pissed off looking Ric on the opposite couch. As soon as Elena saw the tub of ice-cream in Bonnie's hands, she nearly screamed through the roof.

"Ice-cream." she cried out, jumping up and snatching the tub out a perplexed Bonnie's hands and taking it into the kitchen, with one of the blood bags Damon had gotten from the basement.

"Cravings." Damon explained as Bonnie nodded, before she gingerly headed towards Ric and placed a hand on his arm.

Closing her eyes, Bonnie concentrated for a moment while Ric looked on in confusion. After about about a minute Bonnie opened her eyes. "It's definitely Ric." she said, letting go of Ric's arm.

"Why did it take so long?" Ric asked. "Usually you just touch people and can tell it's them."

"Because Silas is a witch." Bonnie explained. "And although he's immortal, he was able to keep some abilities through channeling some magic. The witches of his coven gave him this ability through a form of blood magic." she said. "He can't cast spells, but he can get inside people's heads and deceive them into believing what he wants. But he's restricted with what he can do. He can hold form and voice and personality, but he can't hold a person's death for long."

"What do you mean hold a person's death?" Damon asked confused.

"When someone becomes a vampire, I can feel their death." Bonnie explained. "He can try for a few seconds, enough to fool me if I brushed passed him. But I concentrated on it for too long, Silas couldn't fool me for that length of time." she smiled up at Ric. "Welcome back." she said. "I guess that answers the question about the resurrection and whether our immortal is a good guy or not." she said to Damon and Stefan.

Suddenly Elena emerged from the kitchen with a bowl and spoon in her hands, looking extremely pleased with herself. "Thanks Bonnie, your a lifesaver." she said, flopping down on the couch next to Damon and tucking into the ice-cream blood mixture. "Mmm...this is so good." she said dreamily as Damon looked at the contents of her dish with disgust.

"Not a fan of chocolate ice-cream?" Bonnie smirked at Damon.

"Actually, I love chocolate ice-cream." Damon replied. "But just not with...O negative." he grimaced as Elena nodded happily whilst the faces in the rest of the room dropped, expressing varying degrees of disgust.

"Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Ric asked, looking around the room for anyone to answer. "I died in a storage unit, went to the other side. Then suddenly I'm awake again and laying next to my own grave, so I make my way here and find that Elena is not only a vampire but pregnant with Damon's kid." he frowned. "What and how long did I miss?"

"It's April." Stefan replied. "Klaus is alive and has moved to New Orleans. The hybrids are practically extinct, except for Tyler, who is god knows where on the run from Klaus, who isn't actually chasing him." he frowned. "Carol Lockwood is dead. Anything else?" he asked.

"Sabrina got brainwashed by a crazy two thousand year old immortal witch called Silas and his minion." Damon added grinning at Bonnie who glared back at him. "Silas is running around somewhere trying to find a very human Katherine who is under the protection of Elijah."

"So why am I here?" Ric asked.

"To kill Silas." Bonnie replied nonchalantly.

"And how do I do that?" Ric frowned as he stared at the blank faces surrounding him.

"Apparently this baby is supposed to help." Bonnie offered.

"Okay..." Ric replied, confused.

"Speaking of which." Elena interrupted, deciding to change the subject. "I say we call Jeremy and tell him the good news then get Caroline and Matt to let them." she said.

"Good idea." Damon nodded. "I'll call Liz." he offered.

"Why Liz?" Ric asked.

"We need a cover story." Damon explained. "You've been gone and confirmed dead for five months Ric. We need an alibi for you being back in town. Otherwise questions will be asked when you decide to go to the Grill for a drink And I don't think mysterious twin brother is going to cut it." he said whilst Elena called Jeremy to ask him to come round to the boarding house.

"Fine." Ric sighed. "You call Liz, while I'm going to have some of that blood you were going to offer me." he said glaring at Damon who threw a blood bag over to him.

"I'll call Caroline." Stefan offered.

"And I'll ask Matt." Bonnie said as they all called in the gang to come over to the boarding house for the news.

After they'd finished, Elena ushered Bonnie into the kitchen. "Liz says she's on it." Damon called out to Ric as he followed the girls. Damon and Elena had wanted to discuss the baby with Bonnie and with it being such a sensitive subject, they wanted a little privacy. When Stefan and Ric realized what they were up to, Stefan put some music on to drown out the conversation in the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, although she had suspicions they were already aware that this baby was something a little different.

"When Damon and I put our hands on my stomach like this..." Elena explained as she lifted her t-shirt and touched her stomach, her face lit up with joy, and Damon followed suit, his own reaction was the same. "It's like a feeling of..." Elena tried to explain.

"...Euphoria." Damon grinned as he pulled Elena in close to him. "And protectiveness." he added staring into Elena's eyes.

"Ahem." Bonnie dramatically coughed. "I'm right here." she said as Damon and Elena turned to her and moved their hands away from her stomach.

"Bonnie, can you put your hand on my stomach see if the same happens to you?" Elena asked as Bonnie nodded profusely. As soon as she'd suspected something wasn't right with the baby, she'd wanted to get close enough to find out exactly how powerful the child was going to be so they would know what they were dealing with.

As Bonnie placed her hand on the Elena's stomach, her eyes widened with shock.

"What vibes are you getting?" Damon asked curiously.

"Not the same as what you felt." Bonnie frowned as she removed her hand, whilst Damon and Elena eyed her with suspicion. "It wasn't a bad thing." Bonnie assured them smiling. "It was just..." she stopped, trying to find the words to describe how she'd felt.

"Go on." Elena nodded, eager to find out what reaction Bonnie was having.

"It felt...powerful." Bonnie frowned.

"So why do you look like someone just set fire to your broomstick?" Damon asked as Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"This baby...fetus is three weeks old at the most." Bonnie explained. "I think it's already channeling the power from the bloodlines." she said. "It's already strong enough to change your emotions at will without conscious thought. Although it isn't able to affect me...yet, it might be able to soon." Bonnie hesitated. "Although, thinking about it, I suspect it might also be able to affect Stefan because it is channeling his bloodline too."

"And?" Damon asked. "What's wrong with that? We'll have a witch for a baby." he shrugged.

"If this fetus grows at the normal human rate of nine months." Bonnie began. "How powerful do you think this baby is going to be when it's born?" she frowned. "Do you think you can handle a newborn baby, who is potentially the most powerful witch to ever live?" she asked as Damon and Elena looked at each other with worried faces.

"What makes you think that the baby will be as powerful as that?" Damon asked Bonnie.

"If the prophesy is to be taken at face value, then the baby is already drawing it's powers from the ancient Travelers." Bonnie explained. "Starting with your bloodlines and the magic that was placed in the bloodlines to create the curse." she said. "Once it has done with the bloodlines, I suspect it will start sucking the power from what is left of the current Travelers, although from what Stefan told me, Matt and Rebekah said they were no longer very powerful because most of their magic was already channeled into the bloodlines." Bonnie went on. "After that, it will begin to weaken Silas. And the only way I can think it will do that is..."

"Suck his powers dry." Damon interrupted looking stony faced as Bonnie nodded.

"But babies can't control their magic." Bonnie warned them as Damon and Elena looked at each other in horror before Damon turned back to Bonnie.

"So what you're telling us, is that when this baby is born and for instance wants feeding or it's diaper changing, if it doesn't get what it wants, it could perhaps blow up a car, like possibly my car?" Damon asked, panic showing in his eyes as Bonnie nodded, trying not to laugh at Damon's protectiveness over his beloved car.

"Yep." Bonnie replied. "That's exactly what I'm saying." she said, the urge to make him squirm was too good a chance to miss. "So we're going to have to figure out how to control this thing before it controls us." she warned.

Elena, Damon and Bonnie returned to the parlor from the kitchen to wait for Jeremy to arrive. In the meantime they wanted to know exactly what would happen when Stefan touched Elena's stomach. They explained to Stefan and Ric what the discussion in the kitchen had entailed and asked for the conversation to not go any further, not even to Jeremy, Caroline or Matt. It was on a strictly need to know basis and as Ric was the immortal in the prophesy, he was already involved and there was a good chance he would need to know about how potentially magical this baby could be. The last thing to do was to let Stefan touch Elena's stomach to find out what whether his bloodline was being channeled and what emotional reaction he would have.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Stefan asked nervously. He felt a little uncomfortable putting his hand on his ex-girlfriend's naked stomach, especially when his feelings for her hadn't fully disappeared. To make matters worse, the thought of his hand on her naked flesh made his manhood twitch with desire.

"We need to know what it does." Elena insisted as Stefan tentatively put his hand on her flat stomach. What happened next was nothing like he'd expected. He felt a sudden happiness and protectiveness over whatever was inside her stomach, yet at the same time he suddenly felt overwhelmingly happy for his brother and Elena, whilst a weight also disappeared from his shoulders and everything seemed to look clearer. "What the hell was that?" he asked as he removed his hand before looking at Elena, then to Damon and finally to Bonnie.

"What did you feel?" Bonnie asked, furrowing her brow thoughtfully.

"Joy, protective and happiness for you guys." Stefan frowned as he looked to Damon and Elena. "And...like a weight was lifted from my shoulders, but I don't know what it was." he said looking puzzled.

"How do you feel about Elena?" Bonnie asked narrowing her eyes as Stefan realized what the sensation had been.

"I feel nothing." he told Bonnie smiling. "Well, of course I care, she's Damon's girlfriend and she's going to be the mother of his child." Stefan continued as he turned to Elena. "I mean, we're friends and all, but nothing else. I can't even remember what it felt like to be in love with you, I can't even imagine it. Urgh!" he said pulling a face and shuddering. "Sorry Elena, but it feels more like you're my sister." he apologized as Damon exchanged looks with Bonnie and Elena.

"Well, looks like the curse is finally broken." Damon smiled as the front door opened and Jeremy walked in without knocking, only to come to a sudden halt when he saw Ric.

"Hey Jeremy." Ric said as Jeremy ignored him and looked furtively around the room.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked, looking everywhere but where Ric was standing.

"Hello, Jeremy." Ric waved and then frowned, before realizing that Jeremy must have thought he was a ghost, which prompted a smile to form on his face as a practical joke entered his head. "Tell Damon and Elena that I'm here." Ric told Jeremy, who turned to Ric.

"Why?" Jeremy asked as everyone else in the room realized what Ric was doing and decided to play along with it.

"Why what?" Elena asked Jeremy innocently.

"Um...um...nothing." Jeremy stammered as the others were struggling to not laugh.

"You tell Damon that he's a shitty friend and I'll punch him if he doesn't get me another bottle of whiskey." Ric told Jeremy as everyone else began to struggle to hold back their laughter.

"Okay, what's going on?" Jeremy asked, eyeing everyone up suspiciously.

"Oh come on Elena." Ric sighed. "Put your brother out of his misery."

"I'm pregnant." Elena grinned as Jeremy looked at her confused.

"Is this some kind of practical joke?" Jeremy huffed. "Because it's not funny."

"Actually, you know what is funny?" Damon asked. "You've been allocated baby sick duty. The part where it pukes up all over you." he grinned.

"How do you know about all of this shit?" Stefan asked Damon frowning.

"You forget Stefan, I'm a lot older than you, I remember seeing you being fed as a baby then you'd throw it all back up." Damon smirked at Stefan before turning back to Jeremy. "Don't worry, Stefan has shitty diapers to deal with." he told him as he began to laugh.

"Stop teasing." Ric scolded Damon as Jeremy frowned as he saw Damon look directly at where Ric was standing.

"You're one to talk." Damon pouted.

"Hang on..." Jeremy interrupted them. "Can you see Ric?" he asked wide eyed.

"Yep." Damon nodded. "And I very much felt him punch me after he found out that your sister was pregnant." he added glaring at Ric.

"Wait, so this is not a joke?" Jeremy frowned.

"Nope!" Damon replied popping his P.

"Elena?" Jeremy asked as she shook her head in response.

"Uh...uh...how?" Jeremy asked confused as the rest of the room exchanged furtive looks.

"Did anyone ever tell you about the birds and the bees?" Damon asked sarcastically.

"Look I know how babies are made." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "But vampires can't have kids right?"

"It's related to the prophesy." Bonnie quickly interjected before Damon had chance to give a somewhat inappropriate reply. "Damon and Elena are the soulmates in the prophesy. The elixir worked on them so that when they...well...you know..." Bonnie shrugged.

"And nobody knew this would happen?" Jeremy asked as Damon, Elena and Bonnie all shook there heads. "How do you feel about all of this?" Jeremy turned to Elena.

"I feel good." Elena nodded. "I get to have a family and be with Damon forever." she smiled as Damon took her hand in his.

"As long as you're happy." Jeremy smiled as he rushed up to Elena and hugged her tightly. Right at that moment the front door opened and Matt and Caroline walked in and headed straight into the parlor as Damon got out his phone to check a text he'd just recieved.

"Liz wants to meet me and Ric at the Grill." Damon quietly told Elena. "You okay for me to go?" he asked gently as Elena nodded.

"Pussy-whipped!" Jeremy coughed under his voice as a few snickers of laughter ran around the room, causing Damon to look up at him murderously.

"What's going on?" Matt asked.

"Long story, read the E-book." Damon told him. "Short version, Ric's back, Elena's pregnant and you Quarterback." Damon explained turning to Matt. "...are on keep Rebekah Mikaelson occupied and away from Elena duty." he grinned.

"What? How?" Matt asked, confused.

"She likes you. Flatter her, flirt with her, fuck her. Whatever you wanna do. But just keep her away from Elena." Damon told him. "Don't worry about it, enjoy the ride." he said as he he saw Matt's worried face. "You're single purpose in life right now is to have some hot Original vampire sex, not kill puppies, so don't look so fucking miserable." he added shaking his head before grinning. "Ask Stefan, he'll give you some tips."

"Damon!" Elena glared at Damon and slapped him on the arm as he turned back to face her.

"Probably best we get going before I say anything so dumb that I'll regret it later." Damon winced as Elena nodded at him. "I promise I won't be gone long, but I'll probably be drinking, is that okay?" he asked, offering up his best puppy-dog eyes.

"Sure, just make sure you freshen up when you get back." Elena sighed as Damon smiled and kissed her.

"Ric, Grill!" Damon smirked as he grabbed his jacket and car keys before he and Ric left to meet Liz at the Grill.

"Uh...what just happened there?" Caroline asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Um...Elena's pregnant." Stefan replied awkwardly.

"I got that part." Caroline said. "But seriously, vampires can't have kids." she frowned. "I don't get it."

"The elixir was so the soulmates could have a baby. And Elena is now pregnant with Damon's kid." Bonnie explained.

"But we can't tell anyone." Elena added. "It's related to the Silas prophesy, so we don't know what else could happen do we Bonnie." Elena looked intently at Bonnie.

"No." Bonnie agreed. "So as much as I hate to agree with Damon, he has a point." she said. "We need to keep Rebekah away from Elena, and Matt..." Bonnie turned to Matt and smiled sadly. "She's got a thing for you, so you need to...distract her." she shrugged.

"And what's Mr Salztman doing back?" Matt frowned. "I thought he was dead."

"He's the immortal we brought back after the prom." Bonnie explained.

"Better than Kol Mikaelson I guess." Caroline shrugged before turning to look at Elena. "But oh my god...Elena...you're going to have a baby." she squealed with excitement, rushing over to hug Elena. "That is so amazing, although it's a pity it's Damon's. But we can have a baby shower and..."

"Caroline." Stefan interrupted. "Nobody is allowed to know until Silas and the Travelers have been dealt with." he told her.

"So...does that mean no baby shower?" Caroline's face fell.

"We'll see closer to the time." Elena smiled to appease her friend. "But you can't tell anyone, not Tyler or Klaus, not even your mom." she said. "It isn't safe."

"I don't know where Tyler is." Caroline's face and shoulders dropped. "And why would I tell Klaus?" she frowned. "But no offense Elena, you can't keep it hidden forever." she told her.

"I know." Elena sighed sadly. "But we only found out today, we need to come up with a plan before we tell anyone else." she shrugged.

Damon and Ric walked into the Grill and headed towards the bar to wait for Liz who was due to meet them in the next few minutes. Sheriff Forbes had agreed to come up with a fake witness protection scheme where Ric had been placed on, which for safety it was claimed he was dead. As Ric walked through the Grill, many pairs of suspicious eyes followed him, surprised at the sudden appearance of the dead history teacher.

"Two bourbon's. Neat." Damon told the bartender as they sat down in their usual spot whilst the bartender poured out two glasses. "In fact, leave the bottle." Damon instructed as the bartender who did exactly that before wandering off.

"So, you looking forward to being a father?" Ric asked as Damon's eyes darted all over, checking nobody had heard as he put his fingers to his lips.

"You don't know who's listening." Damon said under his voice frowning. "Anyone who knows me will ask questions that can't be answered yet." he added as Ric nodded whilst tapping his finger on the bar at the same time. "What's up Ric?" Damon asked.

Ric looked around furtively before dropping his head and speaking in a quiet voice. "I haven't fed since November. I've had two blood bags. All of these heartbeats are driving me insane." he complained.

"Well pick someone." Damon shrugged.

"I don't want to kill anyone." Ric insisted.

"I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu here." Damon sighed, drinking his bourbon down in one and refilling the glass. "What about snatch, eat, erase?" Damon asked.

"Nobody showed me how to do it." Ric sighed.

"Well Ric, you weren't really the type for letting someone show you the ropes were you?" Damon snickered as he felt a tap on his shoulder, turning around he saw Liz with a file in her hands. "Liz, thanks for meeting us here." he grinned.

"I brought over the paperwork that you'll need." Liz told Ric. "All of your ID documents and accounts have been reinstated." she explained to him handing over a manila envelope. "Your passport and drivers license are in here." she told him. "Luckily we hadn't destroyed them down at the station." she said.

"Thanks Liz." Ric grinned.

"I also contacted the school Principle." Liz told him. "You can have your old job back it you want." she said.

"Wow, I don't know what to say." Ric replied, stunned at being able to resume his old life.

"He'll be there when school starts again." Damon offered. "Won't you Ric?" he said turning to Ric and giving him a pointed look.

"Sure." Ric agreed smiling.

"Well it's nice to have you back." Liz smiled. "Even if the circumstances are less than ideal." she sighed.

"How are you going to convince the counsel that I'm not a vampire?" Ric asked as Damon suddenly realized he hadn't told Ric about Pastor Young blowing up the farm.

"Liz and I _are_ the town counsel." Damon frowned.

"You haven't told him?" Liz asked.

"He knows some of what's happened since he disappeared." Damon told her. "I just haven't gotten around to telling him everything yet." he shrugged.

"Well I need to get going, I'll let you fill him in." Liz told them. "Some of us have work to do." she said as she left the bar and Ric opened the envelope to reveal his ID documents. Pulling out his wallet, he placed the items in there and put it back in his pocket.

"Back to feeding." Ric started. "Do you want to do me the honors of teaching me snatch, eat, erase?" he asked. "Not that I want to feed from humans, I intend to stick to blood bags. But just in case I have no other options." he said quietly.

"Okay." Damon told him. "So you pick your meal." he explained waving his hands in the air and looking around the bar, when suddenly he froze.

"What's wrong?" Ric asked as he looked around seeing nothing unusual.

"Five o clock, woman in blue coat." Damon whispered bending his head down as Ric looked around and saw a redheaded woman wearing a blue coat.

"So?" Ric frowned. "Jealous ex?" he smirked as Damon shook his head.

"That's Ruby." Damon whispered to Ric. "She's the witch I went to visit in New York a few of weeks ago." he explained. "If she's here, she's come to see me, and it has to be about Silas." he whispered.

"I think she's spotted you." Ric frowned as Damon looked around to see Ruby walking over towards them.

"Ruby." Damon grimaced. "What an unexpected surprise. How did you find me?" he asked.

"I'm a witch." Ruby sighed. "Locator spell." she rolled her eyes as if she were stating the obvious. "Is there anywhere we can go a little more private?" she asked.

"There's an empty booth over there?" Ric offered, pointing to the closest empty booth to them as Damon picked up the bottle of bourbon whilst they piled out and sat down, Ric and Damon on one side of the booth, Ruby on the other.

"Whatever you do, don't let her touch you." Damon muttered under his breath so only Ric could hear him with his vampire hearing. "If she finds out what you are, she'll know that the prophesy has been triggered. And I don't want her to know just yet." he told him as Ric kept as far away from Ruby as he could.

"Do you even need me here?" Ric asked Ruby who nodded. "You're with him, that means you'll probably end involved one way or another." she said as they all got comfortable and Damon topped up his and Ric's drinks without offering Ruby anything.

"Right, spill." Damon sighed. "Why have you come all the way from New York to Mystic Falls to see me?" he asked.

"Word on the street is that the Originals have settled back in New Orleans." she told them.

"Tell us something we don't know." Damon frowned.

"Last week Damaris Strickland's dead body was found with an address in her purse which belongs to the Original family." Ruby told them.

"And?" Damon asked confused.

"Damaris used to be part of a coven of witches called the Travelers." Ruby said as Damon's face fell.

"Fuck!" Damon exclaimed.

"Original vampires asking about Silas business." Ruby shook her head. "The Travelers have gone underground." she told them. "If I know about Damaris and the Originals, well then you can bet you're bottom dollar that the Travelers know about her too." she said. "The Original family have been living in Mystic Falls for a while now, everyone knows this." Ruby said. "It's only a matter of time before the Travelers head towards Mystic Falls and begin to look for the doppelgangers. So if I were you and should you know who the doppelgangers are, I'd suggest you get them out of town pretty quickly." she said.

"Can't they just do a locator spell and find them?" Damon asked worriedly. "I thought the Travelers put some type of protection spell on them." he said. "Surely they would know where they are."

"Four people created the bloodlines." Ruby explained. "The Travelers have access to the creators blood. They don't need to know where the doppelgangers and Silas heir are."

"I thought they had no magic left." Damon frowned.

"They have a little." Ruby told them. "Enough to do the spell." she said. "If they channel each other, they have a fair amount, not as much as a normal coven, but they can still produce powerful spells. So whatever you do, don't underestimate them." she warned.

"How can we know to trust you?" Damon asked.

"I'm risking my life being here." Ruby said. "Here's my number should you need it." she held out a piece of paper to Damon who took it and put it in his wallet. "The Travelers will either be looking for Silas or the doppelgangers. If they find out the prophesy has been triggered, they will lift the protection spell and they will try to kill them and the ' _One_ '." she told them as Ric and Damon exchanged looks of horror.

"Good day to you both, and good luck." Ruby smiled them as she got up and left the bar.

"Looks like you won't be going back to school yet Ric." Damon told his friend as he patted him on the shoulder. "We'll have to give those feeding lessons a miss for the time being and make sure we're stocked up on blood bags." he said standing up.

"We?" Ric asked.

"You're coming with us?" Damon told him.

"Where?" Ric asked.

"Who the fuck knows." Damon frowned. "But you heard her, we need to move and fast." he said getting out his phone to call Elena who picked it up almost immediately. "I need you to pack." he told her. "We're leaving town today." he said.

  
  


 


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

" _It's only a matter of time before the Travelers head towards Mystic Falls and begin to look for the doppelgangers. So if I were you and should you know who the doppelgangers are, I'd suggest you get them out of town pretty quickly." she said._

" _Four people created the bloodlines." Ruby explained. "The Travelers have access to their blood. They don't need to know where the doppelgangers and Silas heir are."_

" _The Travelers will either be looking for Silas or the doppelgangers. If they find the prophesy has been triggered, they will lift the protection spell and they will try to kill them and the 'One'."_

" _You heard her, we need to move and fast." Damon said getting out his phone to call Elena who picked it up almost immediately. "I need you to pack." he told her. "We're leaving town today." he said._

Damon burst into the boarding house followed by a flustered Ric, to find Elena waiting for them in the parlor, as Damon vamp-sped over to Elena and put his arms around her, much to both hers and Ric's bemusement.

"What's going on Damon?" Elena asked, as Damon released her to the ground and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"The witch from New York just found Ric and me at the Grill." he told her. "If the Travelers find out you're pregnant, they'll try and kill the baby." he said, panic creeping into his voice.

"But I thought the pregnancy had fulfilled the prophesy." Elena frowned.

"I'm guessing the prophesy requires you to actually give birth to a healthy child." Damon told her.

"So why are we running?" Elena asked. "What makes you think they'll look here?"

"Word is already out on the street that a witch who used to belong to the Travelers visited a house in New Orleans belonging to the Originals." Damon explained. "She was found dead with the address in her pocket." he told her. "Everyone knows the Originals have been staying in Mystic Falls, making it a logical place to look." he said.

"So where do we go?" Elena asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I've already been looking round at possible safe houses." Damon told her. "It has to be somewhere close to a hospital and within a short enough distance for Meredith to get just in case you go into labor." he said. "Richmond is far enough away but close enough for Meredith."

"So you've already been looking at places to rent there?" Ric asked.

"No, I'm buying it." Damon frowned. "I'm not throwing away good money on renting." he snorted. "The safe house needs to be big enough to secure everyone involved." he shrugged as he turned to Elena. "Is the smell of alcohol making you feel sick?" he asked.

"No, I like it now." Elena replied confused, not only by Damon's question, but by the sudden change in her body.

"Good." Damon smiled as he kissed her on the forehead and walked over to the wet bar to pour himself a drink. "Want one?" he asked Ric who nodded as Damon handed the drink over to Ric and poured himself another. "We need to head out to the lake house and then I'll go and check the house out the house in Richmond, make sure it's suitable for our needs, if it is, my people are already on it. A little compulsion might be needed to speed up the process, but hopefully we should be in there within a couple of days." he said.

"Suitable for your needs?" Ric frowned before he started to laugh.

"Not just mine and Elena's." Damon rolled his eyes. "Everyone who knows about this pregnancy needs to be able to go into hiding at the drop of a hat. If everyone has to hide at the same time, it needs to be big enough to hold the entire Scooby gang." he explained. "Although admittedly some sharing maybe required." he looked at Elena and winked before looking around the room in confusion. "Speaking of which, where did they all go?" he asked frowning.

"Matt had a shift at the Grill and Bonnie, Jeremy, Stefan and Caroline went to look through what's left of Doctor Martins grimoires and the book Emily gave them, to see if they can find out anything else." Elena told him. "Plus I wanted to sleep and I think Caroline needs her mind taking off the Klaus, Tyler situation." Elena shrugged.

Damon walked over to Elena, putting his drink down on the coffee table and taking her gently by the shoulder. "Well from now on I don't want you alone." he insisted. "I want you to be near either Bonnie or another vampire." he said as both Elena and Ric looked at each other in shock. "What?" he asked.

"You actually used her name?" Elena said, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Damon smirked. "Right, I'll pack, you get the Scooby gang here. The Quarterback can stay at the Grill, someone needs to keep that place running." he said. "But we need the rest of the gang here pronto." he said before kissing Elena on the lips. "And call Meredith, we need to know the plans for the pregnancy going forward." he added as he headed upstairs to pack.

Ric frowned. "Is he okay?" he mouthed to Elena, who nodded in reply before picking up her phone and calling everyone in they needed to see for the second meeting of the day.

Half an hour later Stefan, Caroline, Jeremy and Bonnie were back at the boarding house, wondering what was going on. Meredith couldn't be there as she was in surgery, but she had managed to make an appointment to meet Damon and Elena at the hospital to discuss the plan for the pregnancy. Damon was stood in front of the fireplace in the parlor as the rest of the group amassed to see what the next crisis meeting was about.

Damon cleared his throat as everyone looked to him to wait for his announcement. "Quick version, the Travelers know an Original vampire has been questioning a witch who used to be part of their coven." he told them. "They'd already gone underground when Silas was released which means they might have an idea that the prophesy has been looked into." he said. "As the Originals have been living in Mystic Falls, that makes this place the number one target to ask questions and maybe to search for doppelgangers." he went on. "We know the appearance of the Petrova doppelganger was already known to Bennett witches, but the image of Silas wasn't. So we have to assume the same goes for the Travelers. But with Silas on the loose, they'll soon find out what he looks like. This means the doppelgangers need to go into hiding, along with those that are directly involved, meaning me, Ric and Bonnie. Any questions?" Damon asked.

Elena held her hand up. "What about Jeremy?" she asked. "I'm not leaving him."

"Fine, he can come too." Damon sighed.

"What about me?" Caroline asked.

"You are going to be our eyes and ears on the ground here." he told her. "I need you and the Quarterback to keep up with the gossip. Not too hard for you." Damon smirked as Caroline folded her arms and gave him a dirty look. "And your partner in crime works at the Grill. Prime position to look out for people who are new to town."

"Good." Caroline smiled. "I've got a graduation to plan."

"Also I'm going to ask your mom to keep an eye out for reports of large amounts of blood going missing across the country." Damon told her. "I'll get her to keep you updated and if there's anything unusual to report, give me a call." he said.

"What am I now, your secretary?" Caroline asked folding her arms as Damon looked at her pointedly. "Fine!" she huffed.

"Damon." Elena interrupted before Damon and Caroline got into an argument. "We won't all fit into the lake house. What do we do until the safe house is ready?" she asked.

"We're not all going to the lake house." Damon told her before looking to Stefan and Ric. "I want you two to go on a little field trip to New Orleans." he grinned pointing at them.

"Why?" Ric asked.

"Isn't that a little...dangerous?" Stefan added.

"It's probably the safest place to be right now." Damon explained. "The vampire in charge of the French Quarter in New Orleans is a guy called Marcel Gerard." Damon told them. "Apparently he's banned all the witches in New Orleans from practicing magic." he explained. "The last place the Travelers are going to be right now is New Orleans."

"So why do you want us to go there?" Ric repeated his previous question.

"Do you remember that dinner get together when we undaggered the rest of the Original family?" Damon asked Stefan who nodded. "Klaus and Elijah told us a story about another doppelganger." he said. "Her name was Tatia, and she'd already had a kid with some other guy. We need to know if Elijah and the rest of the Originals ever met the father. And if he did, why the hell he never told us that Stefan was his doppelganger." Damon sighed. "Also, Elijah knows where Katherine is. We need to talk to her. What did the father of her kid look like? These questions need to be asked. We need to know how many people are aware that Stefan is a doppelganger." he said.

"And?" Ric asked.

"Anyone that isn't an Original, Katherine or our Scooby gang who knows about this is a loose end that needs to be tied up." Damon simply said.

"Tied up?" Elena frowned as Damon nodded as he dragged a finger along his throat.

"Your going to kill them?" Jeremy looked at Damon angrily.

"Well, it depends who knows." Damon admitted. "We can't kill the Originals, and I trust they will keep our secret." he said. "I'd love to kill Katherine, but she is the walking cure and if we can make it through the next nine months, it might be possible that drinking her blood is a way to become human." he shrugged. "So we can't kill Katherine, although watching her being tortured by getting old and wrinkly is too amusing an opportunity to miss up." he grinned evilly. "I doubt anyone else does know, but we can't risk it."

Why do we both need to go?" Ric asked.

"Stefan is not on good terms with Klaus right now. This Marcel guy might be hostile,if he goes alone, he has no protection." Damon explained. "I can't send you alone Ric, the Originals think you're dead or that you're trying to kill them." he said. "With Stefan at your side, Elijah might be more...agreeable." he shrugged. "Hopefully by the time you've finished in New Orleans, the safe house will be ready, or we'll have word that we can move back to Mystic Falls." he said.

"What about me?" Jeremy asked.

"What about you?" Damon frowned.

"You're coming with us Jer." Elena interrupted. "Isn't he Damon." she added looking at Damon with a pointed stare.

"Yes." Damon grimaced. "You can keep Sabrina...occupied." he smirked.

"And school?" Ric frowned.

"Trust you to bring up school." Damon replied. "We can compel the grades whilst you home school them or...something." he shrugged.

"And my job?" Ric raised an eyebrow.

"We'll turn down the high school job and I'll hire you if you're that desperate." Damon rolled his eyes. "Anyone have any other questions?" his eyes scoured over the group, hoping nobody would say anything.

"Why don't you compel Katherine to forget you and Stefan?" Bonnie asked as Damon and Stefan looked at him with curiosity. "You can't kill her and it would kinda tie her up as a loose end." she suggested.

"I thought you didn't like compulsion." Damon frowned.

"I think I can make an exception in her case." Bonnie smirked.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Damon grinned. "Do you think you and Jeremy can go in your car?" he asked Bonnie who looked at Jeremy and they both nodded before turning back to Damon.

"If we go now, we can head straight there." Bonnie said.

"Well maybe you should get going." Damon gestured his hand towards the door.

Bonnie sighed. "We might as well go and pack now and get out there as soon as we can." she said as she and Jeremy got up to leave.

"Can I hitch a ride?" Caroline asked.

"Sure." Bonnie replied as she waited for Caroline to join them before leaving.

Damon turned to Ric and Stefan."Ric, Stefan." Damon said. "Talk it over with Elijah, see what he says about compelling Katherine." he told them as they nodded. "Elena and I are off to see Meredith to discuss this little one." he smiled as he walked over to Elena and put his hand above her stomach, knowing not to touch the area where the baby would stir up emotions. "When we get back I need you two to be ready to head out to New Orleans." he told them as Elena stood up and Damon turned to her. "Let's go." he said as the headed out to the appointment.

Half an hour later Damon and Elena found themselves in Dr Meredith Fell's office at the hospital ready to discuss the pregnancy. Meredith had come armed full of leaflets as Damon frowned.

"Damon, I'm not an obstetrician." Meredith said. "It's not my field of expertise. On the other hand, under the circumstances of you being..." she lowered her voice. "...vampires." she whispered. "I might still be the best qualified doctor to deal with this." she sighed. "I'll make sure at all points that we've got a qualified obstetrician at the appointments, and then you can compel them to forget they attended." she shrugged. "My recommendation is Doctor Harvey. She's the best we have here." Meredith explained as Damon and Elena looked at each other nodding.

"What about scans?" Elena asked.

"The first scan is at six weeks." Meredith told them. "Can I ask, do vampires have periods?" she asked.

"Wishful thinking." Damon muttered as Meredith opened her mouth, but nothing came out, not knowing what to say.

Elena flashed her eyes at him. "Damon!" she exclaimed as he grinned before looking around the room innocently as Elena had a thought to shut him up. "Imagine a vampire with pms." she said smugly.

"Oh, you mean Blondie?" Damon replied. "She has it permanently." he smirked as Elena put her head in her hands, feeling ready to die of embarrassment. "And Barbie Klaus too." he smirked, just to annoy Elena a little more.

Elena turned to Meredith, deciding that ignoring Damon might be the best option. "The answer is no we don't." she said. "Why?" she asked.

"That's the usual method we use for working out how far on you are." Meredith explained. "Although I think it's fair to say that as your symptoms began to show only a week ago, conception must have taken place within the first two weeks after taking the elixir." she said.

"More like first two hours." Damon smirked.

"So I'll arrange for you to have a scan in three weeks." Meredith turned to Elena, also deciding to ignore Damon. "Then we can get a better idea of when the baby is due." she said.

"Can't." Damon told her. "Well not here." he said as Meredith looked to them both and frowned.

"We need to get out of town." Elena explained.

"Where are you going?" Meredith asked.

"Richmond." Damon told her. "We can't return to Mystic Falls until we know the coast is clear. So we need to have everyone we deal with to be in or go to Richmond." he explained. "So can you do some research and find someone you can work with?" he asked. "I know it's unconventional and inconvenient, but I'm sure you'll be able to do what needs to be done." he said as Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Yes Damon." she sighed. "So, my turn." she said, deciding to change the subject. "Blood tests." Meredith explained as she opened her drawer and took out two syringes in packets.

"Why me?" Damon complained.

"We've been through this." Meredith told him. "We need to know if the elixir has caused any other changes to your blood." she told him as he held out his arm for Meredith to take the blood.

Once Damon and Elena had had their blood samples taken, they got up and headed towards the door to leave, however Elena stopped and took a small necklace out of her purse and handed it to Meredith.

"We need you to stop taking the vervain." Elena told her. "We're going to have to compel you to forget what happened after the appointments about who you saw and also about me being pregnant." she said sadly.

"I know." Meredith sighed. "I was expecting it." she said as Damon and Elena looked at each other in surprise. "It's safer that I don't know about it apart from when absolutely necessary. I should be vervain free in two days" she told them.

"We'll let Caroline know, she can compel you." Elena said. "We'll tell her the exact wording of the compulsion. And she'll tell you before you take the necklace off, just to make sure you're okay with it." she said.

"Thanks." Meredith smiled.

"Thank you." Elena said as she walked back over to Damon who put his arm around her.

"Right, we need to be hitting the road." Damon told them. "Thanks doc." he said as Damon and Elena left.

The following day, Damon went to Richmond to see if the safe house was suitable whilst Elena slept for most of the day. She'd begun to noticed a pattern of when she was away from Damon she was more tired. Deciding to wait until Damon came back to see if her theory was correct before she told Bonnie, she decided to take a shower before he returned.

Elena hung up her towel and stepped into the shower, closing the curtain behind her. It wasn't the luxury of Damon's shower, but the water was still hot and right now she needed something on her aching neck muscles. The soreness of her neck was something which had surprised her, she'd not expected to feel pain after vampire, apart from vervain and when she was injured. But it turned out that stress was still a pain in the neck, literally, although Damon told her it was rare for vampires to suffer from it as they'd usually have switched their humanity off before stress got bad enough for it to cause any discomfort. Unfortunately for Elena, flipping her switch was not a luxury she could afford right now.

Elena placed her hands on the white tiles in front of her and bent her head forward so that the spray from the water could cascade over the parts which ached. As her neck and shoulders began to relax, an ache began to form in another part of her body. Unfortunately Damon had been in Richmond most of the day purchasing a house for them to live in whilst they were in hiding, but would also serve as a spare local house should they need one in future. Damon had mentioned the need for 'space' when the little one arrived, meaning Elena had been left alone with Bonnie and Jeremy. She'd wanted to go with Damon, but she'd been tired and she knew she could trust his taste in houses, especially as he more experience in real estate than she did. She hoped the purchase wouldn't take too long and they could be there within a few days. As much as she loved the lake house, it was already beginning to feel claustrophobic with four adults living there, even after just one day.

Elena was so deep in thought, she didn't hear any noise until she felt big strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, initially making her jump, however, she'd recognize those arms anywhere and she immediately began to relax into him.

"Did you get it?" Elena asked as she relaxed her head back into Damon's shoulder.

"Yup." Damon replied. "It needs some furniture, but it's just cosmetic stuff. We'll get someone in to make it perfect when we move back to Mystic Falls." he sighed.

"How long do you think we'll be there?" Elena asked, sighing with pleasure as Damon began to kiss her shoulder.

"No longer than nine months." Damon said as he pulled Elena in tighter to him. "Once the baby is born, the Travelers won't be a threat." he turned her around and pulled her in tight. "And I'm not letting anything happen to you." he said. "To both of you." he whispered as he bent his head down to kiss her on the lips.

Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in tight, his manhood stiffening at the contact between their wet naked flesh. Damon ran his hand down Elena's back and cupped her behind before lifting her thigh and pulling it up around his waist, bending his knees slightly so that his hard cock brushed up against pussy, without penetration, causing heat to pool in Elena's stomach. The ache around her pussy becoming more needy for Damon, so much that the slightest touch took her breath away.

"Damon." Elena whispered. "I need you." she said.

"I know." Damon replied as he lowered his lips to Elena's and nibbled her bottom lip before lowering his mouth and lathering kisses along her jawline and down her neck, as a moan escaped her mouth.

Damon gently backed Elena up against the tiles as he licked up her jugular, followed by his blunt teeth, causing Elena's eyes to tingle as she felt her fangs elongate. Elena took Damon's wrist, which he freely gave and pierced it as the sweet nectar of Damon's blood filled her mouth. This time though, something felt different, the connection was there, but her need for Damon's blood wasn't sexual. This was the first time she'd taken Damon's blood since the night they'd had the elixir, she wasn't sure how she'd known, but she's already suspected her need for Damon's blood would be different from the other times. The feeling came from within, she needed to feel his emotions his closeness, yet she wasn't sure whether she was controlling the need, or this particular desire was coming from somewhere else.

Something else different happened this time too, as much as she wanted more, Elena suddenly felt satisfied and stopped drinking, although she did lick the drops away from his wrist. Damon lifted his head up to look at her and frowned.

"I don't need any more." Elena shrugged, suddenly feeling full of energy. "It was different." she explained. "However I still have other needs." she smiled as she felt the ache in her pussy growing ever stronger for Damon.

Damon placed his hands either on the tiles, either side of Elena's head, as he began to crowd her. "What type of needs?" he asked seductively, as Elena slipped her hand between them and took his solid cock in her hand and began to pump it as she simultaneously rubbed her pussy up against it, gyrating her hips, desperate for some friction.

A moan of pleasure escaped Damon's mouth before he tried to regain his compose. Should Elena continue like this, he'd come before they even started, and she'd never get the relief she so desperately needed. Taking her hand in his, he laced his fingers through hers and shook his head. "Not yet." Damon told her, his voice low and husky. "I won't last long enough for you." he explained as he got down on his knees and looked up through his stunning blue eyes, which were now dark with desire.

Elena looked down at Damon as she ran her fingers through his hair, her pussy in desperate need for his mouth and fingers to relief the heated ache that was growing inside of her. Damon traced his finger down her slit, causing Elena to nearly collapse with pleasure. He replace his finger with his tongue as he licked up the line, tracing the outline of her folds before pulling them apart, swirling his tongue inside her labia, almost driving Elena to brink. Damon, however knew Elena's body well enough to know when to stop. He knew he was being cruel in dragging it out, but he figured it would be worth it if he could make it more intense for her.

Damon's stopped what he was doing and looked up at Elena, his face now vamped out, she nodded her head, giving him permission for what he was about to do as he moved his head to the side and she felt the prick of his fangs as they pierced her femoral artery, followed by the delicious sensation of him drinking her blood whilst he massaged her nub. Elena felt like her body was responding by sending more blood rushing down her body to her pussy, causing her to feel a little lightheaded. But before it could cause her to faint, Damon suddenly stopped and his face returned to normal, albeit with small rivulets of blood at the side of his mouth, which was already beginning to disappear under the water of the shower.

Changing tactics once more, Damon blew into Elena's pussy, before circling the edges of her entrance with his tongue and eventually he slid it inside and began to tongue fuck her, whilst he continued to massage her nub. The ache inside Elena's pussy was now throbbing to bursting point, she was still feeling a little lightheaded from him taking her blood. That feeling combined with her pussy being so engorged with blood, due to being so turned on., was causing the heat pooling inside her stomach.

"Oh my god...Damon." she cried as Damon inserted two fingers and latched his mouth onto her swollen clit and swirled his tongue before he began to suck on the tiny bundle of nerves.

The heat that had been pooling inside her stomach now boiled over as white hot spasms began to take over Elena's body. "Fuck...yes..." she cried as the orgasm hit her with a ferocity she hadn't expected, causing her to arch her back away from the tiles, whilst she held on tightly to Damon's hair until he slowed his thrusting hand to allow her to come down from her high. Damon stood up and kissed her, allowing her to tasted herself on him.

"Turn around." Damon instructed her, as Elena followed his instructions and faced the wall.

Damon stood back a step and pulled her hips towards him, forcing Elena to bend down as he gently pushed his cock inside of her from behind. "Ahhh." she moaned with pleasure as she felt his cock fill her completely. Placing his hands on her hips, Damon began to thrust, slowly at first, sending waves of pleasure up Elena's spine before he began to up the pace. Elena felt the heat pooling in her pussy once more as Damon instinctively knew what she needed as he moved one of his hands underneath her and found her clit, which he began to work his magical fingers on.

The heat in her pussy exploded like a volcano. "Oh my god...Damon...oh yes...oh yes...oh yes...aah" she moaned as she suddenly went rigid, unable to form any coherent words as the spasms continued for a few moments longer before they began to die down with Damon slowing down his tempo, before pulling out, turning her around and wrapping her legs around his waist as he inserted himself inside her and began thrusting once more, whilst Elena gyrated her hips in sync with his to increase the friction between them.

"I can't hold on much longer Elena." Damon panted as their faces simultaneously began to change, something that had never happened before.

"I think we should take the hint." Elena said licking her fangs and staring intently at Damon's jugular.

"Are you sure?" Damon whispered as Elena nodded and lowered her head towards his neck as he did the same. They both pierced each other's necks at the same time and began to tug at the delicious blood they were giving each other. Again, the blood sharing was different to every other time they'd done it. Instead of sharing emotions and feelings, this was a sense of being more powerful, for both of them. They began to feel stronger, which reflected on the force of their love-making. Damon increased the power and vigor until he was on the brink. Needing to find his own release, he had to push Elena to come first. Taking Elena's hand, he laced their fingers together and began to jointly circulate her nub, whilst using the wall to keep their balance. Elena's pussy began to burn up once more as the red hot spasms took over her body for one last time, causing her to be the first to stop feeding as she shrew her head back against the tiles.

"Fuck me Damon...oh my god...yes..." she screamed as Damon kept thrusting whilst her white hot pussy began to pulsate all around him, milking his cock to his own release as Elena's back arched away from the tiles whilst her whole body went rigid before it began to shake and her vision began to blur.

"Fuck! Elena..." Damon cried out as she felt him spill his hot seed inside of her as she managed to focus on his face just in time to see it scrunch up in the way that made him look even more erotic and beautiful to her, whilst Damon's body shuddered for a few moments before they clung to each other as if their lives depended on it, both panting hard from the exertion and the strange power that was suddenly vibrating through their bodies. Damon's head momentarily collapsed on Elena's shoulder as he kissed her neck before pulling back up to look at her, whilst his cock softened inside her.

"Do you feel that?" Elena asked.

"Yeah." Damon nodded.

"I feel stronger." Elena frowned. "But I need to feel...more..."

"Powerful?" Damon asked as Elena nodded. "I wonder if someone is trying to protect us." he suggested, looking down at Elena's stomach as she released her legs from his waist whilst he pulled out of her.

"I don't know." Elena said. "What I do know is that I don't think blood bags alone are going to cut it for much longer." she told him. "It needs blood fresh from the vein." she said.

"How do you know?" Damon frowned.

"We need to be stronger." Elena explained. "I think that was what the baby was telling us. Fresh blood straight from the vein does that doesn't it?" she asked as Damon nodded. "I think when we move to Richmond, we might have to go to a few...clubs." she suggested winking.

"I like your style." Damon grinned. "But first of all, we need to shower and then do some matchmaking." he told her.

Elena frowned. "Matchmaking?" she asked.

"Yeah well, the house in Richmond only has six bedrooms." he told her.

"Only?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"If at any point we need to hide the entire Scooby gang there at the same time, people are going to have to share." Damon explained. "And being the romantic at heart that I am, I think that the best way to do that is by giving an incentive." he smirked.

"Bonnie and Jeremy?" Elena asked.

"That is such a good idea." Damon replied with a glint in his eyes. "You work on Witchy, I'll work on Little Gilbert." he suggested.

"You mean to encourage my brother and best friend to have sex?" Elena frowned.

"It'll make for a more relaxing atmosphere." Damon insisted. "It's a win win."

"And what possible advice could you give Jeremy?" Elena asked, worry flashing across her face.

"That's between us men." Damon raised his chin and began to nod slowly as he reached behind Elena and picked up the shampoo. "My turn first." he grinned turning around so Elena could wash his hair.

"Fine." Elena sighed. "Matchmaking it is." she said as she emptied some of the shampoo into her hands and began to run her fingers through Damon's hair.

  
  


 


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Stefan and Alaric had arrived in New Orleans almost a week earlier. They'd been trying to arrange a meeting with Elijah, who turned out to be constantly busy, however he'd finally agreed to meet them at the plantation house which Matt and Rebekah had met with the witch Damaris. Elijah had let them know he'd gone through Kol's things and discovered some important information which they might find useful. They were also tasked with trying to get Elijah to give them Katherine's whereabouts, however, they knew the chances of him revealing the information was slim.

Whilst waiting for their meeting with Elijah, they'd roamed New Orleans, paying particular notice to the word on the street among witches who were claiming some miracle child was soon to be born, one so powerful it would take down all witches that crossed it's path. This had worried them both, however they'd decided not to relay any information back to Damon and Elena until they returned to wherever Damon's safe house was. It was finally after this waiting, in which Stefan and Alaric found them outside the plantation house knocking on the door when, to Stefan's surprise, the werewolf who'd unsired Klaus's hybrid's answered the door.

"Hayley isn't it?" Stefan asked confused at her appearance.

"Yeah." she replied looking at him as if he was a piece of dirt on her shoe. "Elijah told me you were coming." she said as she eyed Ric suspiciously.

"I'm Alaric Saltzman, but you can call me Ric." Ric smiled and held out his hand however Hayley just looked at him disdainfully as she wrapped her arms around her waist, causing Ric to frown.

"Come on in." Hayley gestured for Stefan and Ric to enter, who immediately followed. "The parlor is over there." she told them, pointing to a room leading away from the grand entrance. "Elijah has gone to get some stuff, so help yourself to whatever you want to drink." she nodded in the direction of a wet bar and walked off.

"Thank you." Stefan called after her as Ric rolled his eyes.

"Polite girl." Ric frowned as he walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a generous glass of bourbon. "The good stuff." he smiled as he poured one for Stefan and handed it to him.

"What did you expect?" Stefan smiled as they heard a cough behind them, signaling their entrance.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Elijah appeared, smiling and carrying a folder in one hand. "Glad to see you are already making yourselves at home." he said. "Shall we sit?" Elijah gestured with his free hand to one of the couches where Stefan and Ric promptly sat down. "I do apologize for making you wait a week to meet with me, however you must appreciate, I was a little concerned when I saw you." Elijah said looking at Ric as he sat down himself, placing the folder next to him.

"Don't worry, I'm no longer hell bent on killing vampires." Ric sighed.

"I'm sure you understand, I had to be sure." Elijah replied. "Protecting my family is of my...utmost concern." he said as Stefan and Ric exchanged glances before nodding.

"I came back the old me." Ric assured him. "Although I am still a vampire." he sighed, clearly unhappy about the situation.

"So I take it you came to discuss Katerina's whereabouts." Elijah stated, changing the subject.

"Among other things." Stefan replied.

"Go ahead." Elijah offered.

"Do you remember when Damon and I had dinner at your place and we opened the coffins to let your family out?" Stefan asked.

"I do recall it very clearly." Elijah replied.

"You told my brother and I a story about the first doppelganger." Stefan told Elijah as a glint appeared in the Original vampire's eye.

"Go on." Elijah said. "I'm listening."

"You told us she had a child with another man, her husband." Stefan said. "Who was he?" he asked.

"He was just another villager." Elijah replied.

"Did you know him?" Ric asked.

"I may have made his acquaintance on a select few occasions." Elijah told them. "Why do you ask?" Elijah eyed them suspiciously.

"What did he look like?" Ric asked taking a sip of his bourbon.

Elijah sat back, crossed his legs and draped an arm over the back of the couch and stared at the vampires in front of him. "That was not the question I was expecting." he said. "But nonetheless it shouldn't be a huge surprise either." Elijah turned to Stefan. "He bore an uncanny resemblance to you." he shrugged. "Why do you ask?" he frowned.

"And you never thought this information might be of some use?" Stefan frowned.

"I never considered it to be anything more than a coincidence." Elijah shrugged. "The resemblance was uncanny, however due to certain fashion changes, I couldn't be sure that the resemblance was exact." he said.

"Fashion changes?" Ric raised an eyebrow.

"We all looked very different a thousand years ago." Elijah explained. "We had long hair and some villagers wore face paint." he said. "Tatia's husband was one who wore face paint."

"So you couldn't tell Stefan was his doppelganger?" Ric said as Elijah raised an eyebrow.

"It isn't obvious." Elijah frowned. "But not out of the realm of possibilities." he said. "Why is it so important?" he asked.

"How many people know what Tatia's husband looked like?" Ric asked.

"My family is all." Elijah told them. "Everyone else is dead now." he said.

"It needs to stay that way." Stefan told him. "If anyone finds out, we're all in danger." he said.

"Why is it so important?" Elijah asked, narrowing his eyes, as Stefan and Ric exchanged glances.

"The Travelers are looking for the Silas doppelganger." Ric told him as he looked over to Stefan.

"How did you know it was Tatia's husband?" Elijah frowned.

"Tatia, Katherine and Elena are all Amara's doppelganger." Stefan told him. "There was a curse placed upon the doppelgangers to fall in love with each other." he explained.

"Like you and Elena?" Elijah asked as Stefan nodded. "And where does Katerina fit into all of this?" he asked.

"Emily told us Stefan looked like the father of her child." Stefan told Elijah. "We just wanted to know why she never told us." he lied.

"Is it relevant?" Elijah asked. "If Emily Bennett told you this, which also corresponds with Tatia's husband being a doppelganger, it will not help you in any way whatsoever." he frowned. "I believe what you really wanted to know where Katerina is being kept." he smiled knowingly.

"It would help." Stefan shrugged.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Elijah told them. "You see, should Silas find where Katerina is currently residing, then he could try draining her, and if my suspicions are correct, he will become mortal once more and lower the veil to the other side. As you can probably appreciate, I do not wish for that to happen." he said.

"Bonnie is no longer fueled by Expression." Stefan told him.

"It doesn't matter." Elijah told him as Stefan and Ric looked at each other. "He just needed her to gain the power of Expression." he explained. "She may have been cleared from it by witches to stop her practicing it, but her body still holds the energy." he said. "As long as he has something which belongs to her, he can find another witch who practices Expression to channel her, and because she can no longer feel the magic, she'd never know she was being channeled." he said as Stefan and Ric looked on in horror.

"How do you know all of this?" Ric frowned.

"Do not forget, our mother was a witch." Elijah sighed. "Also, after being on this earth for a thousand years, you do learn a thing or two." he smirked. "There is also this." Elijah picked up the folder next to him and opened it, revealing a journal and pieces of paper, some of which appeared to be very old.

"A journal?" Stefan asked.

"Kol's to be precise." Elijah told him. "Kol was fascinated with witches." he explained. "When he wasn't causing mayhem and destruction, he tended to move in witch circles. He was fascinated by particular branches of magic and was very knowledgeable in relation to Silas." he said. "I have only briefly browsed though his writings, and this journal comes from a time he spent with witches who were very aware of Silas." Elijah continued. "I believe some of the information you need might be stored inside this journal and some of these letters." he said. "Unfortunately, I am unable to loan these to you, however, I do offer a place to stay for a couple of nights whilst you read them and make notes of anything you should find of interest."he offered. "However, you cannot tell anyone about your presence here."

"Don't worry." Stefan assured him. "We're not keeping in touch with Damon and Elena until we leave New Orleans." he said.

"Will they not try to use a locator spell on you?" Elijah asked. "I cannot have anyone knowing you are here." he said. "Rebekah and the human boy were already here asking questions and a witch was killed." he told them. "Suspicions are rife within the community around the possible rise of Silas. To make matters worse, witches are not able to practice magic within New Orleans." he explained.

"They were asking about the Travelers." Stefan explained. "They're the ones who worship Silas. We needed information about what they knew." he said.

"And did you get it?" Elijah asked.

"Yes." Stefan told him. "Well, we got some information, enough for us to work out another way to destroy Silas." he said.

"Do you think you can do it?" Elijah asked. "Kill Silas?"

"That's why I'm here." Ric told him. "I'm part of the 'how' to kill him, although we don't know what else it involves yet. We're hoping any small amounts of information might help." he said, making sure he didn't reveal what they already knew.

"Is there a weapon?" Elijah asked.

"We don't know." Stefan shrugged. "We've been through all of the information provided by our source, and if there is, it is coded and we haven't worked it out yet."

"Or the witch who gave you this information did not know what the actual weapon was." Elijah offered.

Stefan nodded. "That is a possibility." he said. "We know we need to remove his magic." Stefan told him.

"Are you able to do that?" Elijah asked.

"We're working on it." Stefan explained. "But it is a very slow process. It will take months to prepare." he explained.

"What is the process?" Elijah eyed Stefan with suspicion.

"I've compelled him not to tell you." Ric lied before Stefan could reply as Elijah raised an eyebrow. "Well, I've compelled him not to tell anyone." he said. "For safety reasons of course." he smiled.

"Of course." Elijah replied. "Well, that I can understand, the less people know the better for all involved." he said.

"Including yourself." Stefan added. "This is as much for your safety as ours." he said. "If there is anything in here you need to know, for your own protection, then we'll tell you. Deal?" he asked, standing up and holding his hand out to Elijah.

"That's a fair deal." Elijah replied. "I accept." he said, shaking Stefan's hand. "However, I do think you should get a move on, we don't want anyone tracking you down here." he said.

"Don't worry." Ric told Elijah. "The last place anyone is going to come looking is here." he said. "Mystic Falls on the other hand is a different matter. I'd suggest when we leave, you try and get Rebekah to stay here, for her own protection." he added.

"I'll take the matter into consideration." Elijah said, straightening his suit jacket down. "Now if you'll excuse me gentleman, I have other matters to attend to." he said and with that he left the room.

Caroline knocked on the door of the Sheriff's office. Although the office belonged to her mom, she was here on semi-official business for the council as she was currently representing Damon whilst he was with Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy, meaning this was not a social visit and she wanted to adhere to whatever formalities Damon might stick to.

"Hi mom." Caroline smiled as she popped her head around the door.

"Come in sweetie." Liz said as Caroline walked into the office and sat down at the desk in the chair opposite. "So what's going on here?" Liz asked. "The entire vampire population of Mystic Falls, except for you and Rebekah Mikaelson, disappear, along with Jeremy Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett, who may I add has made Mayor Hopkins very angry because she left with only a note saying she's safe and well." she frowned. "He was this far from filing a missing person's report." she held up her finger and thumb to Caroline. "What am I supposed to tell him?" she asked.

"Bonnie's safe." Caroline told her. "But she won't be if she's here in Mystic Falls. Some witches and Silas might be on the lookout for her. Getting her out of town and not telling anyone where she was going was the only option." she explained.

"Why not?" Liz asked.

"Silas was able to get into Klaus's head and convince him he was dying." Caroline told her. "Even I don't know where they are because Silas could try and fool me into thinking he is someone else and get into my head and find them." she said.

"Aww honey." Liz frowned. "Are you safe here?" she asked, her voice full of concern as Caroline nodded.

"Yes mom." Caroline assured her. "I'm not involved in the Silas problem." she explained. "Bonnie needs protection and Damon, Stefan and Ric are the oldest vampires, although I can easily take Stefan down." she lied, deciding to keep everyone's true role a secret, which she'd update Damon with. "Damon won't leave Elena and Elena won't leave Jeremy. They need someone back in Mystic Falls to keep an eye on things, so I volunteered." she said. "With the help of Matt." she added.

"Why are these people looking for her?" Liz asked.

"Professor Shane got her caught up in raising a two thousand year old immortal called Silas using black magic." Caroline explained. "Now we suspect the witches who worship Silas might be after her and Silas himself has disappeared, which is where you come in." she said.

"So Damon wants me to track this Silas guy?" Liz asked.

"Silas has disappeared." Caroline told her. "That's why Damon asked you to track disappearing blood supplies or any bodies drained of blood, but not vampires." she explained. "Silas is an immortal but he isn't a vampire. But he drinks human blood." she said. "And lots of it." she added.

"Well, I've been tracking any unusual activity and I found this pattern." Liz told Caroline as she pulled out a map and began to draw circles around the areas where the blood had gone missing.

"Charlottesville, Winchester, Hagerstown, Cumberland..." Caroline frowned as she read out the list of places circled on the map where large quantities of blood had gone missing from blood banks and hospitals. "Makes no sense." she said shaking her head.

"Well, it looks like he's heading north." Sheriff Forbes told her. "We found some campers near here." Liz pointed to an unmarked area of the map. "They were drained of blood with a knife mark on the wrist."

"That's Silas." Caroline confirmed.

"No more blood banks have been raided since." Liz told her.

"When was the last one?" Caroline asked.

"Two weeks ago." Liz said.

"And the campers." Caroline frowned.

"The coroner put the date of death as two days after the last hospital." Liz told her. "Admittedly I haven't been looking for any other similar deaths since because I didn't know what you were looking for, and I only got this report come through this morning, but I can get on it." she said.

"I'll let Damon know." she said. "Thanks mom." Caroline smiled.

"No problem honey." Liz smiled back. "Do you want me to continue looking for people who've just been drained?" she asked as Caroline nodded.

"Please. If we need you to stop looking for him then I'll tell you, but we don't know where Silas is going so we need to keep tracking him until it looks like he's coming back to Mystic Falls." Caroline explained as she turned to leave.

"Will you be home for dinner?" Liz asked.

"Yes mom." Caroline rolled her eyes as she walked over to Liz and hugged her before making her way out of the Sheriff's office to update Damon on the news.

Damon walked through the door of the Lake House with a smile on his face whilst Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy, who had been sat around playing Monopoly, looked up to see what he had to say.

Damon held his hand up with a set of keys and shook them. "I say we're moving house." he grinned as Elena jumped up, ran over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"What about furniture?" she asked pulling away frowning. "More specifically beds." Elena said with a knowing look on her face.

"I was already on it. I have tried and trusted suppliers who can get what I want in twenty four hours." Damon told her. "Everything was ordered the day I bought the house, and is being delivered as we speak." he said smugly as he kissed her before turning to face Bonnie. "I think we need to add some finishing touches." he added with a grin.

Caroline headed back to her car, got inside and called Damon's new number, it rang four times before he answered.

"Blondie." his voice came from the other end. "Any news?" he asked.

"Nobody has been asking questions." Caroline told him. "But I've just been to see my mom and she's found four areas where blood banks or hospitals have been robbed." she said.

"Go on." Damon insisted.

"Charlottesville, Winchester, Hagerstown and Cumberland in Maryland." Caroline said. "But the Cumberland robbery was over two weeks ago."

"So he was heading north." Damon replied. "I'm guessing Willoughby." he said.

"Where?" Caroline asked.

"Willoughby Pennsylvania. That's where Katherine was." Damon told her. "I wonder how he found out she was there." he said absentmindedly.

"That's not all." Caroline said. "Two campers were found near Cumberland drained of blood, but instead of being drained like a vampire, their wrists were slashed." she told him.

"Classy." Damon said dismissively. "Maybe next time he'll find a curly straw, stick it in their necks and suck the blood out that way." he said sarcastically.

"Eww...Damon...Seriously?" Caroline chided him.

"It was a joke." Damon replied in an exasperated tone.

"It wasn't funny." Caroline heard Bonnie's deadpan voice say through the phone.

"Well anyway..." Caroline decided to get them back on track. "I've asked my mom to start to search for anyone who has been drained of blood." she said. "I'm guessing he's fed enough so he no longer needs to steal from blood banks. Instead a couple of humans should be enough every day or two." she explained.

"Was Liz not searching for those." Damon asked.

"She only got the first report through first thing this morning." Caroline told him. "And we can only get reports when people are found. If he's draining people in the middle of woods, mountain ranges or just the middle of nowhere, the bodies aren't going to turn up straight away." she explained.

"I knew that." Damon huffed.

"She's on it now." Caroline assured Damon.

"Tell her to widen the search." Damon said. "Start with Willoughby and then widen the search, anything in the last two weeks is probably more interesting as he's obviously not heading straight back to Mystic Falls." he told her.

"How do you know?" Caroline frowned.

"He'd be there by now." Damon told her. "Meaning he's already found Katherine, which I find doubtful if Elijah is hiding her." he said. "Speaking of which, have you heard from Stefan or Ric?" he asked.

"Why would they call me instead of you?" Caroline asked.

"Well, considering you and Stefan are so close right now..." Damon teased.

"I don't know what you mean." Caroline replied indignantly.

"Hey I'm not judging." Damon laughed. "He's an improvement on wolf boy and Klaus." he chuckled.

"We are so not having this conversation!" Caroline huffed.

"Oh we so are." Damon teased. "We're stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, with no gossip, I've been banned from playing Monopoly because I always win..." he started.

"He cheats." Caroline heard Elena call out.

"I do not." Damon replied. "I'm just more experienced than you." Caroline heard him say to Elena.

"As fascinating as it sounds to hear how the Salvatore, Gilbert, Bennett Monopoly championship is going." Caroline sighed. "I have things to do, like plan graduation." she said checking the time on her phone. "I've got a committee meeting in ten minutes."

"Fine...You go to the meeting." Caroline could practically hear Damon's eye roll. "Remember, if you get someone asking questions..."

"I know, tell them it's Elena is Katherine and she disappeared right after Homecoming." Caroline repeated the idea Damon had come up with before they left.

"And grab a piece of the persons hair and put it in the locket Bonnie gave you." Damon told her. "And make sure Quarterback is doing the same." he sighed. "I don't trust him to remember his own name, let alone trust him with something this significant."

"Says you who has never bothered to find out his name." Caroline snapped.

"Okay, gossip time up." Damon sighed. "Go to your meeting. We need to run, time to pack for the big move." he said.

"Bye Caroline." Caroline heard the collective voices of Elena, Bonnie and Jeremy over the phone.

"Bye, have fun." she replied as she hung up.

After Damon had finished speaking to Caroline, he turned to Bonnie. "So, I was just about to ask, do you mind adding a few finishing touches to the new house?" he asked. "Something a little magical." he grinned.

"Cloaking spell?" Bonnie asked as Damon nodded. "Anything else?" she asked.

"A barrier spell wouldn't work against Silas would it?" Damon asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "Not a conventional one." she told him. "But when we get there I can go through the grimoires and see if there's anything I can work with." she said as Damon nodded. "Do you want me to do the cloaking spell now?" she asked as Damon nodded.

"What do you need?" he replied.

"The address and if they're the keys to the house, they'll do." Bonnie told him. "Can you get me some candles, salt and a map of the area, I have the rest in my bag." she said as she went to go and retrieve her grimoire and the remaining ingredients for the spell.

"I got the salt." Jeremy called out from the kitchen whilst Damon took out a large detailed map of Richmond from his pocket.

"I also need some of your blood." Bonnie told Damon and Elena, returning and moving the game of Monopoly before laying the map out flat on the living room table. "Where's the house?" she asked.

"There." Damon pointed to a property on the map as he handed Bonnie the keys. Bonnie began to arrange everything she needed. Candles surrounded the map as she drew a circle around the area the property was in with the salt and placed a small piece of sandalwood inside the circle.

"I want your blood in the middle of the salt." Bonnie told them as Damon bit his hand and let blood drop into the center of the salt circle. Elena followed suit as Bonnie closed her eyes and began to chant the spell. " _Phasmatos radium invisique._ " she repeated over and over until the blood and wood merged together as flames suddenly erupted from the map and Bonnie stopped chanting. "It's done." she smiled, however almost immediately the room began to shake.

"Bonnie...what the hell?" Jeremy cried out.

"Bonnie?" Elena cried with fear.

"What's going on witchy?" Damon demanded.

"I think it's the baby...it's...it's fighting me." Bonnie said, knitting her brow in confusion.

"How can a four week old fetus fight you?" Damon asked. "Even I know it has no conscious thought." he said.

"It already has self preservation." Elena said.

"How?" Damon asked.

"We don't have time for this guys." Bonnie said, beginning to look a little unwell.

"I've got an idea." Elena said, grabbing Bonnie's hand and placing it on her stomach with her own. "She's only trying to keep you safe." Elena assured her stomach in a soothing voice. "She's not trying to hurt you." As quickly as the room had begun to shake it stopped and Bonnie frowned.

"It's stopped fighting me." she told them, a look of fear on her face.

"What's going on Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.

"The baby." Bonnie replied. "It's already almost as strong as me." she told them, her voice a almost a whisper as they all exchanged looks of shock mixed with fear.

  
  


 

 


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon and Elena pulled up outside the property in Richmond where which Damon had purchased as the safe-house, closely followed by Bonnie and Jeremy in Bonnie's car. After the earlier revelation regarding the strength of power emanating from the fetus, they'd clued Jeremy in on everything regarding the baby being magical. They collectively decided any magic to be performed after they'd arrived at the new property as they weren't sure what effect it would have upon Damon and Elena.

Elena got out of the car and stood in front of the impressive mansion and looked to Damon who had a massive grin on his face. "A normal house would have been fine." Elena sighed.

Damon furrowed his brows. "Eww, no." he said shaking his head. "The master suite is in it's own wing and has an adjacent library, which I thought would be perfect to be turned into a nursery for the little one." he grinned. "Plus I don't want to be woken by the neighbors every morning."

Elena knew he had a good point. Being a vampire had one big downside when it came to everything being heightened, that was sleep and noise. Being tired affected vampires in a different way to humans. They didn't get sleepy, but they did get tired and their bodies did need rest, especially considering the amount of alcohol they would consume to help curb their blood cravings. Although Elena couldn't drink alcohol, she was becoming tired more frequently due to the pregnancy, which was why they'd decided to go to a club that evening and see if blood straight from the vein would help Elena feel better.

Damon led them up to the house and opened the front door and gestured for Elena to be the first one to go inside. Elena had to admit the house was beautiful. The grand hallway had white marble floor, leading off war a huge dining room already housing a huge dining table, a fully furnished parlor and she could see a large kitchen further down the hall. A grand staircase led up to the first floor. She could tell from the outside of the house there were more downstairs rooms, accessible via the parlor, kitchen and dining room.

"Is this okay?" Damon asked, his voice sounding a little nervous.

"It's...it's...beautiful." Elena put her hand to her mouth, clearly emotional before turning to Damon, jumping into his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck before kissing him.

"Ugh...will you guys get a room." Bonnie sighed as she walked in through the door.

"Now that sounds like a wonderful idea." Damon grinned as he swept Elena off her feet, bridal style.

"Damon!" Elena chided. "Put me down." she said as Damon kissed her nose.

"I'm kidding." he sighed. "Now we're here I need Bonnie to do a spell for me." he said.

"Already?" Bonnie asked.

Damon nodded. "I haven't heard from Stefan or Ric for the last forty eight hours. I'm a little worried about them. You think you can do a locator spell?" he asked.

"Sure." Bonnie shrugged. "But I'll need a map and some of your blood." she told him.

Damon took a map out of his pocket and led them to the dining room. He unfolded the map and placed it on the dining room table, before he bit into his hand to draw blood. "Where do you want it?" he asked.

"Right where we are." Bonnie told him as Damon let little drops of blood drop onto the map from his hand. "That's enough." Bonnie said as she closed her eyes to chant the spell. " _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem._ " she said, however the blood didn't move. " _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem._ " she said again, but again nothing happened to the blood. However it appeared Bonnie could tell there was a problem. "It's fighting me." she looked around at everyone.

"Are they cloaked?" Elena asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "If they are, I didn't do it." she said, however suddenly she smiled. "Can I put your hand on your stomach?" she asked Elena who pulled her top up to allow Bonnie to touch her. Elena put her hand over Bonnie's just to reassure the fetus that she was happy for Bonnie to do this and that Bonnie was to be trusted. " _Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem._ " said again, this time the blood on the map began to move until it settled over New Orleans.

"So does that mean they're fine?" Jeremy asked.

Bonnie frowned. "Yeah." she said.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked.

"Something is cloaking everyone involved in the prophesy." Bonnie told them. "I can only find people by connecting with the baby. Let's just hope this is the prophesy itself creating the magical cloak and not the baby." she said.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Jeremy asked.

"I suggest we take a break for the rest of the day." Damon offered.

"We can start looking for answers tomorrow." Elena agreed. "I say we take a day off from worrying and explore the house." she winked at Damon.

"Let's go." Damon said, as he began to show them around the house.

Stefan decided it was time for Ric to be filled in on everything before they went through the journals and papers. Elijah had gone out for the night and Hayley the rude werewolf he was hiding had gone to bed, leaving Ric and Stefan in the parlor with just whiskey for company.

"So, what did we already know?" Ric asked Stefan. "I wasn't around for most of it, so it's now time to fill me in with the full version not the abridged one don't you think?" he asked. "And why the hell has nobody explained to me how Klaus survived. I staked him with the white oak stake." he said.

Stefan sighed. "Okay, so the night you died, Bonnie put Klaus into Tyler. When you staked Klaus, you must have closed the coffin lid too quickly as fire needs air and there was nothing to fuel it, so it went out immediately, meaning Klaus could be put back into his original body." he told an impressed looking Ric. "Elena choosing me meant she had to cross Wickery Bridge, Rebekah was a little pissed you'd killed her brother so she forced Matt to drive off the bridge." he said.

"Didn't you have time to save Elena?" Ric frowned.

"She forced me to save Matt first." Stefan told him. "And I listened, thinking I could get back to her in time." he said sheepishly. "What nobody knew was she had Damon's blood in her system which Meredith had given her earlier after she'd had a knock on the head which had caused her to have a brain hemorrhage, which meant she became a vampire."

"I'm not going to ask why you listened to her." Ric said, his face contorting with anger. "But is that why you and Elena are no longer together?" he asked.

"Yes and no." Stefan replied. "It wasn't the fact that I saved Matt instead of her." he smiled sadly. "But her being a vampire changed everything. We were cursed to be together." Ric frowned at Stefan's words. "Her becoming a vampire meant she was no longer completely bound by the curse. She only fell for me because of the curse, instead her true feelings were for Damon. Once she died, she could explore her real feelings as she was with her soulmate. Instead I couldn't as my part was too blinded by the curse to notice anyone else." he explained.

"Why the curse?" Ric asked.

"Two thousand years ago, Silas and Qetsiyah, two of the most powerful witches to ever exist, who belonged to a coven of witches called the Travelers agreed to marry." Stefan explained. "Because she loved Silas so much, Qetsiyah created a true immortality spell for them to take on their wedding night to bind them together for eternity." he told him. "Except Silas wasn't as in love with Qetsiyah as she was with him. Instead he was in love with her hand maiden, Amara."

"So this is the Silas guy everyone keeps referring to?" Ric asked, pouring himself a generous glass of whiskey and filling Stefan's glass.

Stefan nodded. "Silas gave the immortality spell to Amara. Qetsiyah found out and was more than a little pissed." he shrugged.

"I bet." Ric said.

"Qetsiyah put Silas in a tomb and created a cure for immortality, hoping he'd take it and kill himself." Stefan explained. "Qetsiyah then created the other side for all supernatural beings, so if Silas killed himself, he'd be stuck there for eternity with Qetsiyah." he said.

"Nice lady." Ric raised his eyebrows and took a sip of his whiskey. "What about Amara?" he asked. "Wouldn't she be there?"

"Amara herself wasn't a witch." Stefan told him. "If she died, she'd find peace." he said as Ric nodded in understanding.

"But she was immortal." Ric frowned.

"Silas seems to think she's dead." Stefan told him.

"So what's the curse about?" Ric frowned.

"Qetsiyah's immortality spell was so powerful, that there were no loopholes." Stefan explained. "Meaning there had to be some way of life mirroring the death's of the immortals." he said. "So shadow-selves were created." he told him.

"Doppelgangers?" Ric asked.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah." he said. "The Petrova doppelgangers are the shadow-selves of Amara and I'm a shadow-self of Silas." he explained. "There was some turmoil within the Travelers after that, and Silas's friends and family cursed the shadow-selves to repeatedly fall in love just to torment Qetsiyah." Stefan told him.

"I'm taking it there was some kind of loophole." Ric offered.

Stefan nodded. "Apparently Qetsiyah's family begged the spirits to break the curse, so the spirits offered a prophesy." he said, handing a copy of the prophesy to Ric who read it very carefully.

"So how did you guys end up involved?" Ric asked.

"I was pissed Elena was a vampire and I could see I was gradually losing her to Damon. It was just a matter of time." Stefan explained. "And when Bonnie put Klaus's body back into Tyler, the spirits of the witches were pissed and she couldn't use her magic." he told him. "Then is stepped a kind Professor who offered to show her an alternative way to practice magic." he said sarcastically.

"Black magic?" Ric asked.

"It's called Expression." Stefan told him. "It requires massacring twelve to fuel the witches power." he said.

"And Bonnie agreed to this?" Ric asked.

"She didn't know what was fueling her power." Stefan explained. "The first massacre was when Pastor Young blew up the town council." he told him.

"All of the town council?" Ric asked, wide eyed.

"Pretty much." Stefan shrugged. "This all led us to an island off Nova Scotia, searching for a cure which required us to raise the immortal being Silas."

"And you did." Ric sighed.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah." he said. "And now he wants to lower the veil to the other side completely so that when he kills himself he can be at peace with Amara. But it also means that every dead supernatural being will come back." Stefan told him.

"That's not good." Ric frowned. "So the prophesy will stop Silas from lowering the veil." he asked.

"Now this is where our information gets a little hazy." Stefan told him. "We know Silas's friends and family put their magic into the bloodlines, this now fuels Silas's current abilities to get into peoples heads and make them see things. Apparently he can also read minds." he explained.

"Which is why Bonnie took so long to make sure I was me." Ric offered.

Stefan nodded. "The witches told us what to do for the prophesy and we did it." he told Ric.

"Meaning I came back and Elena ended up as a pregnant vampire." Ric smiled.

"Elena getting pregnant wasn't what we expected to happen." Stefan chuckled.

"Well she's expecting now." Ric began to laugh before he turned serious again. "So what exactly are we looking for?" he asked.

"Anything about the Travelers." Stefan told him. "Their behavior, the type of magic they use, type of spells they do. Any rituals. The usual stuff." he said.

"Where they travel to?" Ric asked raising an eyebrow.

"That and what happened to the coven." Stefan said. "They were a big coven but they broke up. What happened to them? Where are they now?"

"Let's hope we find answers." Ric said as he drained his glass.

Stefan handed the letters over to Ric whilst he began to immerse himself in Kol's journal. They both sat there for what seemed like hours, barely uttering a word, with only the occasional request to fill their glasses with more whiskey. He hadn't found anything out of the ordinary so far, the journal had been more about Kol's exploits regarding sex, drugs, booze and killing than anything related to the Travelers themselves, although he was with them at the time. He had noticed there was a lot of killing though, which wasn't much of a surprise, as Kol was a looses canon. It was only when he got to the third occasion of the full moon did Stefan notice a pattern. He frantically flipped back through the pages to the first full moon and began to make notes, as he flipped to the pages containing the words of what happened during the second full moon, did he grab Ric's attention.

"You found something?" Ric asked, raising his eyes to Stefan's.

"I think I have." Stefan replied. "I can't be sure." he said.

"What is it?" Ric asked, putting his papers down.

"They were performing sacrificial massacre's to fuel their power." Stefan frowned. "They were using Expression." he said.

"And?" Ric asked confused as Stefan realized Ric was in the dark regarding how the bloodlines worked.

"When the Travelers created the doppelgangers, they created something called a bloodline." Stefan explained. "Silas's friends and family put all of their magic into these bloodlines to create the doppelganger curse and also to feed Silas magic when he needs it." he said.

"But you can't be a witch and an immortal." Ric frowned.

"He has some siphoning abilities." Stefan told him. "He's not very strong, so to keep his power topped up, the rest of the Travelers continuously channel some of their magic into the bloodlines." he said.

"Okay." Ric said, not understanding where Stefan was going with this.

"Now Damon and Elena's baby is either siphoning the magic away from Silas, or it is channeling it." Stefan said. "We don't know exactly which one yet." he shrugged.

"Right." Ric frowned. "So what do these sacrifices have to do with the baby?" he asked.

"According to this journal every full; moon, the Travelers would give Kol twelve women to fuck and kill." Stefan told him. "Whilst he did this, one witch would watch on. Each time it was a different witch." he said.

"So every full moon they would take it in turns to power themselves up with Expression?" Ric asked.

Stefan nodded. "Not only that, but according to Kol's journal, the magic in each witch faded over time until they powered themselves up with the next massacre." he told Ric. "But I don't think the magic usually fades with Expression." he said.

"You think Silas was sucking it in?" Ric asked.

Stefan nodded. "What we don't know is if any of the residual magic stayed in the bloodlines, or even if the baby is siphoning the magic from Silas." he said. "What we do know is, if they are still somehow carrying out this ritual, there is a chance every full moon this baby is going to get more powerful as it drains the extra magic from Expression." he explained. "The baby is literally blocking magic from getting to Silas and is sucking it from the Travelers. Every piece of magic put into the bloodlines could end up fueling this child's power."

"So that's two thousand years worth of witch power?" Ric asked.

Stefan nodded. "Including Silas's own magic. Making this baby possibly the most powerful witch to ever roam the earth." he said.

"With the added bonus of two thousand years of Expression massacre's." Ric sighed. "How powerful is Expression?" he asked.

"There's enough power in three massacre's is enough to kill a witch." Stefan told him.

"And this baby is going to be feeding from the magic of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of massacre's." Ric's eyes widened. "It won't survive." he said.

"And if it does." Stefan interrupted. "It may be so powerful, it'll be out of control and extremely dangerous." Stefan said quietly. "We're going to need to talk to Bonnie. He said.

Damon and Elena had decided time to put 'project Beremy' into motion. With all of the bad things going on around them, it was a nice change to focus on something that was good and a little more fun in life. They'd decided to split duties, Elena would talk to Bonnie about Jeremy and Damon would talk to Jeremy about Bonnie. Damon saw this as a win, if Jeremy and Bonnie were busy occupying each other's time, this would leave him and Elena plenty of time to be alone without question being asked or eyebrows being raised. This was going to be essential as Elena's sex drive was increasing with the baby hormones and Damon was more than willing to sacrifice his time and accept his parental role to help with her urges. There was also another matter he wished to discuss with Jeremy, one that would require him to be on his best behavior. For that he'd prepared for them to have a chat in the summer house near the pool, where he'd had a mini fridge fitted and filled with beers. Alcohol was always a good start to get Jeremy on board with his plans. Damon opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Jeremy, before opening one for himself as they sat inside the summer house staring at the pool outside.

"What are you up to?" Jeremy asked, realizing Damon was being nice to him for a reason. "You're giving me beer and being nice, which means you're up to something." he eyed Damon with suspicion as Damon tried to put on his most innocent face without succeeding, causing Jeremy to raise an eyebrow.

"You're right, in a way." Damon admitted. "Elena needed some girl time with Bonnie, away from prying vampire ears, aka me." he told him. "But you're right, I do have a few things I want to talk to you about." he said.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "I knew it." he said. "Go on, what is it?" he sighed.

"This is man to man stuff." Damon frowned, practically choking on the words referring to Jeremy as a man. "Nothing bad, in fact it could benefit you in the future." he smiled, nodded and patted Jeremy on the shoulder in a brotherly fashion, which caught Jeremy's attention. This wasn't what he was expecting. "Although I'm not sure about the first point, which is why I have carefully removed all wooden objects which could be converted into a stake." he grinned.

"Go on." Jeremy narrowed his eyes at Damon before taking a swig of his beer..

"The first thing is about Elena's pregnancy." Damon told Jeremy. "As you already know, the baby is strong. It would kill a normal woman." he said as Jeremy nodded in agreement. "Luckily Elena is a vampire, but she is still getting tired more easily." he said. "We're going to see if we can fix that." he frowned.

"How?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

"Fresh blood from the vein." Damon told him as Jeremy looked shocked. "Don't worry, it doesn't involve killing people. Elena and I have done this before. We go to a club, dance with a few people, feed a little off a few and compel them to forget. Your sister even gives them some sound advice to help them in the future, in payment for their blood." Damon nodded as Jeremy looked at him in shock.

"Aren't blood bags enough?" Jeremy asked.

"Normally yes." Damon explained. "But if you need the extra energy, it has to be straight from the vein." he told him.

"What about me?" Jeremy offered. "She can drink from me." he said as Damon shook his head.

"She won't." Damon told him. "Trust me, it's easier to drink from a stranger. We're planning on going tonight, to see if it works." he said.

"And if it doesn't?" Jeremy asked.

"Well then we'll have to find some witchy workaround." Damon suggested. "But I think it will." he said. "This brings me nicely to my second point." Damon smiled. "It means Elena and I will be leaving you and Bonnie alone together." he told him with a smirk on his face. "You two seem to be getting a lot...closer lately. Is there anything you want to share?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Why the hell should I tell you?" Jeremy frowned.

"Firstly, Elena and I want you both to be happy." Damon started, however Jeremy looked unconvinced by that statement. "Also, if you're wanting to share a room, then we have no problem with that." he said.

"Why would Bonnie and I..." Jeremy started as he suddenly realized what Damon was hinting at. "We haven't gone that far yet." Jeremy frowned.

"I know." Damon nodded, taking a swig of his beer. "But should you want to consider it, I'm a master of getting the mood right for seduction." he grinned.

"Is that how you lured my sister into bed?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

Damon nearly choked on his drink. "Hell no. She seduced me first." he frowned as Jeremy looked at him in disbelief. "Kind of." he shrugged. "That doesn't matter. Look, however long you've been together, whether it's the first time or the hundredth time, romance is part of being with...someone." Damon sighed nervously.

"I have had the birds and the bees talk you know." Jeremy frowned at Damon in amusement.

"I know that." Damon sighed. "But this is Bonnie and from what Elena has told me, it will be her first time and maybe, if you were to be her first, you should make it...perfect." he said.

"And how do I do that?" Jeremy asked.

"Romantic dinner for two...candles, champagne...soft music." Damon suggested. "Make her feel..special." he grinned as he went to the fridge and pulled out two more beers, taking the caps off and handing another one to Jeremy who took it.

"And where do you suggest I take Bonnie?" Jeremy asked.

"You don't need to take her anywhere." Damon grinned. "I can serve better food than any restaurant in Richmond." he said as Jeremy snorted in disbelief causing Damon to frown. "Vampires have heightened senses." he explained. "So when food tastes bad, it tastes really bad." he said as Jeremy nodded in understanding. "So you'll find most vampires are excellent cooks and have generally trained to be a chef at some point." he told a surprised Jeremy. "Except your sister. But she doesn't need to learn as she's got me." he grinned.

"So you're offering to cook?" Jeremy asked, raising his eyebrows as Damon nodded.

"I can knock together a Salvatore special before Elena and I go out tonight." Damon explained. "I'll leave you with the instructions on how to re-heat it, along with a bottle of champagne." he offered. "You and Bonnie will have the house to all yourselves. Elena and I won't be back until late, and we're in the opposite wing, so we can't hear you." he grinned.

"That's reassuring." Jeremy winced. "Look, are you sure about this?" he asked. "Has Elena agreed to this?"

"She knows what our conversation is about." Damon told him. "Elena is fully on board with the idea." he said. "Look, we don't know how long we're going to be stuck here, meaning we all need to be as happy as possible. And I just think this might improve the odds a little." he grinned. "It's a win win situation."

"Fine." Jeremy sighed.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic." Damon frowned. "Here." he said handing Jeremy a credit card. "Order some flowers and shit. Make it romantic." he advised him.

"I can't take this." Jeremy said shocked.

"Yes you can." Damon sighed. "I'm rich, I can afford it." he told him. "I took the liberty of finding the best florist in town." Damon rummaged through his pockets and handed over a card to Jeremy. "Give them a call and order whatever you want. I'm going to start on dinner." he told Jeremy, and with that Damon got up and left, leaving Jeremy stunned at the conversation.

Caroline walked into the Grill after the final graduation planning committee. The entire week had consisted of meetings and discussions whilst everyone, except Matt was away. If she were to be honest with herself, Caroline was feeling a little bit lonely, and she noticed she was especially missing Stefan, he was the person who always cheered her up.

The one job Caroline hadn't had chance to get around to was to send out her graduation invites. She didn't have a large immediate family, but there was plenty of friends of her family to invite and ask them for graduation gifts. As Caroline didn't have much company, she decided to head to the Grill to write out her invites. That way, if anyone suspicious turned up, she'd know about it. As she entered the Grill and took a seat at a booth and ordered a soda, she noticed Matt was talking to Rebekah at the bar. Although she knew she shouldn't listen in, she couldn't help herself.

"It's just been settled." Caroline heard Rebekah tell Matt. "I'm gonna show you life as you've only dreamt it. We'll start in Italy. There's a lovely little church outside San Vittore in Brienno. Romantic spot. Popular for weddings." she said. "And then I'll show you the Northern Lights in the springtime, the Simatai Gorge from atop the Great Wall of China, every inch of the Louvre. We'll see it all when we're done here because we can. We're alive, but...I understand if you don't want to." her voiced lowered as Caroline rolled her eyes as the waitress appeared with her drink.

"China, Paris, the Northern Lights...It's a date." Matt replied, which shocked Caroline. "But, Rebekah you and I...this isn't gonna work. I need to keep my love life a low-vampire zone, too, okay?" he added as Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she needed was for Matt to get tangled up with Rebekah of all people. Especially since she knew what Rebekah did to men if they annoyed her, just like she'd done to Damon, not that Caroline was upset about Damon getting hurt of course.

"Of course. I get it." Caroline heard Rebekah reply, as she took a sip of her soda.

"So whatever happens on the road, stays on the road, all right?" Matt told Rebekah, causing Caroline to nearly choke on her drink. "That little wedding town in Italy? Don't get any ideas about turning me into a vampire so that we can live eternally ever after, you know what I mean?" Caroline was going to have to check whether Matt was on vervain.

"I'm sorry, are you saying...?" Rebekah began, almost as startled as Caroline.

"I've never set one foot outside of this town. I have no college plans, no idea what the future holds for me...But I do know that it's time that I start truly living." Matt told the Original vampire. "And, since you almost killed me this year, I figured it's your obligation to show me how." she overheard Matt explain his reason. Caroline had to admit Matt had a valid point and was only using Rebekah, and as long as Rebekah knew Matt's true intentions, she doubted Matt would come to any harm. Although Caroline decided she needed to warn Matt of the dangers of being with Rebekah.

"Well I guess I'd better start planning that itinerary." Caroline heard Rebekah tell Matt. "I'll speak to you later." she said as Caroline watched her walk out of the Grill with a big smile on her face. As soon as Rebekah had walked out of the door, Caroline got up and stormed over to Matt.

"Seriously Matt. Are you out of your mind?" she asked a confused looking Matt. "Traveling the world with Rebekah of all people. You do know what she did to Damon after he..." she stopped when she saw the confused look on Matt's face. "Never mind." she backtracked.

"No offense Care..." Matt frowned. "But it's not really any of your business." he said.

"She'll use you as a sexual plaything..." Caroline started as Matt's face erupted into a grin.

"And?" he interrupted. "I don't see any problem with that." he grinned.

"But Matt..." Caroline sighed. "This isn't you." she frowned.

"Care..." Matt stopped her. "I'm a single guy with no ties." he told her. "I've just been offered an all expenses paid, around the world trip with a hot girl which will possibly involve no strings attached sex. I'm not going to turn it down." he said as Caroline heard someone purposely make a noise behind her, prompting her to turn around to see who it was.

"Can I help you?" Caroline asked the woman who was short, with dark hair, flecked with gray, who looked to be in her fifties.

"I was wondering if anyone has seen this girl." the woman replied holding up a picture of Elena, Damon, Bonnie and Jeremy at the Lake House, pointing at Elena.

"Yeah, that's Katherine." Caroline lied, trying to keep her distance from the woman, just in case she sensed Caroline was a vampire.

"Has something happened to her?" Matt asked with a look of fake concern on his face.

"I don't know." the woman replied with a sad look on her face.

"Who are you?" Caroline asked. "Her mom?"

"Yes I am." the woman nodded, clearly lying.

"I haven't seen her for..." Caroline frowned as if trying to work out when she last saw her.

"It would be last September at the Homecoming dance." Matt interrupted. "She was my date." he told her. "But she got into an argument with a guy called Mikael, who I thought was her dad." he lied. "She left and nobody has seen her since." he told her.

"Can you describe Mikael?" the woman asked.

"English accent..." Matt started.

"Yeah, that's her dad." she said. "Where is Mikael?" she asked.

"He left the same night Katherine left." Caroline told her.

"Do you know where they went?" the woman asked.

"No." Matt replied.

"But everyone just assumed they went back to Seattle." Caroline added as Matt nodded in agreement.

"Are they missing?" Matt asked.

"Probably not." the woman smiled. "Mikael was supposed to tell me if they were moving." she lied. "I've been trying to get hold of them since October. This was the last place I knew where they stayed." she said. "Well, at least I know where to look now." she smiled. "Thank you, you've been a real help." she said as Caroline and Matt smiled back.

"If you find her, can you ask her to call me?" Matt asked. "She never returned any of my calls."

"That sounds like Katherine." the woman sighed. "Take it from me dear, it means she's blown you out and isn't interested." she shrugged.

"Well I hope you find her." Caroline lied.

"Me too." the woman replied. "Well thank you for your help." she said as Caroline realized she needed to get some hair, prompting her to give Matt a glare.

"Wait!" Matt said as he stopped the woman. "I'll see if I can find the last number I had for her, even though she's not answering." he told the woman as he got out his phone.

"I'll look too." Caroline added, who was stood behind the woman as she rummaged through her purse for the locket and some nail scissors. Matt managed to distract the woman long enough for Caroline to find her scissors and trim a couple of strands, letting them drop into the locket, without touching the woman.

"Sorry, I thought I still had it." Matt shrugged after Caroline had given him the thumbs up.

"Me either." Caroline told the woman.

"Well thank you for looking anyway." the woman said. "You've both been incredibly helpful." she smiled, and with that she left the Grill.

"Seattle?" Matt turned and asked Caroline after the door had closed.

"It was the furthest away I could think of without looking at a map." Caroline scowled. "Well, looks like I need to call Bonnie and tell her we have the hair." she said as she got out her phone and pressed Bonnie's speed dial, however it went straight to voicemail. "I wonder why she's not picking up?" she frowned.

"Maybe she's busy." Matt suggested.

"Doing what?" Caroline asked indignantly.

"With Jeremy." Matt offered.

"Why would she be..." Caroline started before stopping. "Oh..." she said. "And how do you know this and I don't?" she asked.

"Jeremy called earlier." Matt told her. "Apparently Damon gave him a helpful man to man chat which involved sharing his knowledge." he smirked.

"What type of chat?" Caroline frowned.

"Let's just say, I think Damon and Elena have left Bonnie and Jeremy to spend a romantic evening together, alone. If you know what I'm saying." Matt told her.

"Why do I not know about this?" Caroline asked. "Bonnie's my best friend." she complained.

"Jeremy told me Damon was going to cook them a romantic meal and then he and Elena were going out for the night to a club to...feed." Matt screwed his face up at the last word.

"They're doing what?" Caroline practically screeched. "This is ridiculous." she said. "I've got to take this locket to them tomorrow. Damon Salvatore is going to get a piece of my mind." she said huffed before storming out of the Grill, only stopping to drop money on the table where she'd been sat and collect her graduation invites.

  
  


 

 


	41. Chapter 41

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Elena walked downstairs and did a little twirl on the marble floor. She was dressed in a short, tight fitting, strappy maroon dress and black pumps. Elena had her hair partially taken up and her make up was slightly heavier than usual, although not quite as heavy as Katherine would wear. Damon was waiting for her in the foyer wearing looking exceptionally handsome in a dark blue shirt and black jeans. Both colors they wore were suitable to get blood on and for it to not show up, especially in the dark light of a club.

Damon grabbed her by the waist. "You look beautiful." he whispered before pouting. "Do we have to go out?"

"You know we do." Elena sighed. "I need to know if blood from the vein will work."

Damon and Elena set off to find Bonnie and Jeremy who were sat on the couch watching Big Bang Theory on the huge TV in the large open plan lounge area next to the kitchen. They sat holding hands but as soon as they noticed Damon and Elena, they quickly let go.

"So you guys ready to go?" Jeremy asked.

"You look great Elena." Bonnie smiled.

"We'll be out for most of the night." Damon told them. "I heavily suggest you two don't wait up, unless it is urgent of the supernatural variety and cannot wait." he smirked.

"Thanks Bonnie." Elena smiled. "If there is an emergency, text us."

"We will." Bonnie and Jeremy chimed as Damon and Elena turned to leave.

"Oh don't do anything I wouldn't do." Damon called out in a sing-song voice with a smirk on his face.

"That's a very short list Damon." Elena chided.

"Is there anything you wouldn't do?" Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Damon thought for a moment. "Is that a before or after meeting your sister?" he smirked. "Before, the list would have been very short. Now..."

"Damon!" Elena chided, tapping him on the arm.

"...whatever is off limits for your sister, is off limits for me too." Damon smiled sweetly at Elena, ignoring her interruption. "And I don't care because nothing I did previously lives up to the happiness I get from being with you. Nothing compares." he added as Elena lowered her eyelashes.

"Ew, pass me a bucket." Bonnie grimaced.

"One day Sabrina, you'll understand what it's like." Damon looked at her pointedly. "And when you do, I'll borrow that bucket." he grinned as Jeremy threw a cushion at them, which the dodged at vamp-speed. "Hey, the hair." Damon complained. "Shall we go?" he asked turning to Elena who nodded. "Night kids." he sang as they turned to leave.

"Night Jer, goodnight Bonnie." Elena called out.

"Have fun." Bonnie called.

"Yeah yeah, night." Jeremy said, knowing they could hear them as the door closed and he and Bonnie were finally alone.

Stefan and Alaric were still going through Kol's journal's and letters, making notes about anything and everything related to Travelers. So far they hadn't come across anything regarding the prophesy itself which they didn't already know. Ric picked up a bunch of letters which were addressed to Rebekah from Kol. They'd not bothered looking at them as both Ric and Stefan had suspected they might be private, however Elijah had handed those letters over and they were getting desperate, so Ric opened the string which held them together and began to read the first letter out loud.

_Dearest Sister_

_I have decided to have a change of scenery. As much fun the Travelers where, I feel they only befriended me for my abilities to kill. Which although is a great deal of fun, they do not seem to offer much in the way of interest regarding their magic. They can prove to be very secretive at times. I also discovered the massacres they were asking me to commit every full moon, were to fuel their power through a type of magic called Expression. I'm not interested in running with witches who have little power, and only want me around to bring them more, therefore I decided to leave and find a new coven who were prepared to share their knowledge and utilize my talents for mutual benefits of reward or simply knowledge. I also discovered a piece of information which means I no longer want to be part of the Travelers little rituals, however I shall explain more about that later._

_Fortunately there was another coven in Oregon called the Gemini Coven. These witches were rivals of the Travelers, therefore I decided to study them. However I have to be on my best behavior, I am not allowed to kill. Instead I have to let my victims go. As you can imagine dear sister, I doubt I will stay long with these witches._

_The reason I have not killed them or abandoned them is because of their tie to Silas. The Travelers revere him and are desperate to wake him. The Gemini Coven will do everything they can to stop the Travelers. It turns out there is a prophesy related to Silas and the Gemini Coven , along with the Bennett Coven, are the protectors of this prophesy._

Stefan and Ric looked at each other. Neither had heard of the Gemini Coven, this was new information, therefore Ric continued.

_Together, they are able to create an alternate world where they can access the tombstone from where it was last seen, which is essential in the destruction of Silas, should anyone be stupid enough to raise him. When the 'One' appears, he or she will suck the magic from Silas and the travelers, forcing the balance of nature to be restored. To ensure they are strong enough, the leader of the Gemini Coven is produced from the result of a set of twins merging their powers together. The strongest one survives and takes on the magic of their twin who dies. It is truly fascinating._

_Normally I would leave the coven quickly, but I fear Silas. I have mentioned him many times over the centuries and now I am building a bigger picture. If released, he will unleash hell on earth. I know you do not believe me dear sister, but the more I discover the more I believe he is not only real, but that sometime in the future, someone will try to raise him and potentially create hell on earth, and I do not wish that to happen as I quite like earth as it is._

_I am having to be very careful around the Gemini Coven as they do not appreciate my penchant for violence and they have threatened to place me in one of these alternate worlds and leave me there should I continue my behavior. So for now I am being careful and not killing anyone. But once I have an artifact of theirs, I will leave. I know what I want, but whether I can get it remains to be seen. Once I have done here, I will return with my treasure to New Orleans before embarking upon a new adventure._

_Your Ever Loving Brother_

_Kol_

"What's the Gemini Coven?" Stefan frowned.

"Never heard of them before." Ric shook his head. "But whatever, or whoever they are, they're going to be our new best friends." he said.

"It looks like these are the letters we need to be researching." Stefan sighed as he took half of the letters from Ric and they both began to search for more clues about the Gemini Coven.

Damon and Elena arrived at the club in Richmond. Instead of joining the queue, they walked up to the doorman where Damon compelled him to let them in. Once inside they took stock of their surroundings. The club was far more upmarket than Billy's although that wasn't a particularly difficult achievement. The music was loud with heavy base dance music, which neither Damon nor Elena cared for, but that wasn't the reason they'd come to the club. Dancing was on the agenda, but only as a means to find someone to feed from.

They made their way to the bar and ordered a bourbon for Damon and a sparkling mineral water for Elena, to which she gave a disgusted look. Alcohol was no longer making her feel ill, in fact she was craving it as it helped with the need for blood. But nobody knew how alcohol would affect a baby in their circumstances. For a vampire, alcohol wasn't just about getting drunk, like caffeine, it was something their bodies used in a different way to humans. Caffeine kept their blood and body temperatures higher, which was essential now she was pregnant. In a normal pregnancy caffeine was bad, in Elena's case it was a necessity, therefore they weren't sure whether the same applied to alcohol. As they hadn't gone over this with Meredith, Damon and Elena decided in the meantime, she wouldn't consume alcohol directly. What they did decide was Elena would try feeding from people who had just a moderate amount of alcohol in their systems to see how she felt. This made Damon Elena's taste tester. He had to find out whether the victim was sober enough, and drug free, for Elena to feed from.

Tonight's plan of attack was for them to dance and their potential victims. Damon would try them, and if they were drug free and weren't too drunk, they would take them into the one of the back rooms and feed. Damon had already done a recon on the place and had compelled the owner of the club to allow them to use one of the offices with the cameras switched off.

Damon pulled Elena in tight and nibbled on her ear. "You look ravishing tonight." he whispered.

"Make the most of it." Elena smiled. "I won't have this figure for much longer." she said sadly looking down at her still flat stomach. "I'll look like a whale." she said feeling depressed.

Damon pulled Elena up close and wrapped his arms around her waist. "The thought of you being pregnant with my child is the biggest turn on ever." he told her proudly. "I can't wait until you start getting bigger." he grinned as Elena frowned at him.

"Seriously?" she asked as Damon nodded.

"I keep trying to imagine it, and every time I do, I get a hard on, so it's probably best I don't think about it right now." he said. "Makes me feel extra protective over you." he added as he kissed her.

"Caveman." Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Guilty." Damon shrugged and laughed, before gulping down the remaining liquid in his glass. "On the other hand, this means I have to make sure you and our baby are safe and well fed. So now I am going to find you lunch." he kissed her once more before heading onto the dance floor

Bonnie made her way downstairs from her shower. Damon and Elena had already been gone for over an hour and Jeremy was sorting out dinner which had been prepared by Damon, who according to Elena was an excellent cook. When she reached the kitchen Bonnie had a shock. On the table was a magnum of champagne in the middle and a huge bouquet of red roses.

"Oh...are Damon and Elena back?" Bonnie asked frowning, not sure how to react to such an opulent display.

"Um..., no, these are for you." Jeremy said nervously, handing her the flowers, which Bonnie sniffed at the beautiful scent. "If you'd like to sit down." Jeremy instructed as he pulled her chair out, which she sat down on before he ran back to the kitchen.

Earlier in the day, Elena had spoken with Bonnie about her and Jeremy's relationship. Elena had told her she was happy Bonnie and Jeremy were getting closer again and hoped it would lead to more. Bonnie and Jeremy had definitely gotten closer over the past couple of months since Elena turned. In fact in some ways there were closer than when they were an official couple.

Elena hadn't come outright and said it, but Bonnie knew Elena was giving her blessing if she and Jeremy took the final leap. The problem was, Bonnie just wasn't sure whether she was ready to take that next step with Jeremy, the mere thought of it made her nervous. Bonnie knew she was being silly when it came to being scared around Jeremy. At least she wouldn't have the issue of a guy fumbling around on his first time like Elena did with Matt, or overly experienced like Caroline did with the college guy she'd been dating at the time. With Jeremy, she knew he'd do everything he could to treat her right and be gentle.

The truth was, Bonnie was just apprehensive of baring herself up to another person like that. If it were up to Bonnie, she'd wait until she knew it was that special someone, the one person who she saw herself spending the rest of her life with. Bonnie didn't have to like Damon, but it was as clear as day, he and Elena were soulmates. A couple of weeks earlier, before they found out about Elena's pregnancy, Bonnie had caught them alone together on the couch in the parlor of the boarding house. They were deep in conversation about their future and life in general. The Damon Salvatore, Bonnie saw in that moment was a completely different person. Gone was the sarcastic, snarky vampire, he'd been replaced by a sweet, gentle and frankly extremely hot guy. They were just a normal couple in love talking like couples do. They were like two magnets and Elena was also different with Damon. She was more like the girl she was before her parents died. To Bonnie, this was what true love was about, and no matter how much she cared about Jeremy, deep down she knew he wasn't the one. This begged the question, did she wait for her soulmate, or see if she and Jeremy could make a go of things until they inevitably outgrew each other.

Jeremy and Bonnie's conversation throughout dinner was nervous chitchat. They'd discussed the prophesy, Silas, the baby and even TV. By this point they'd both had a couple of glasses of champagne and were slightly tipsy. As a result, Bonnie decided what the hell, as much as she'd want it to be with her own Damon-like soulmate, it might be years before they met. And clearly a good sex life was great for the soul. Just because she and Jeremy probably wouldn't last, didn't mean he wasn't the right one to lose her virginity to. So when Jeremy asked her to dance, Bonnie didn't hesitate. It was time to become a woman.

Elena sipped on her mineral water while she watched on as Damon made his way to the dance floor, his hips moving to the music as he quickly found a willing dance partner. She was young, pretty, with blonde hair and blue eyes. The girl looked at Damon as if he were the sexiest being on the planet, which in Elena's eyes he was. For his part, Damon gave the girl one of his sexy smiles, the one Elena knew was specifically there to lure his prey.

As Damon and the girl began to dance closer, Elena started to get agitated. She didn't like what she was seeing. The girl was touching his chest, and Damon was making no move to stop her. Damon stroked the girl on the cheek and spoke to her, which Elena knew meant he was compelling her, before his head made for her neck. As soon as he did, Elena felt like she'd been staked in the heart, only except it was a metaphorical stake, not a physical one. Damon lifted his head from the girl's neck and they left the dance floor, he signaled to Elena to follow them to the room he had set out for her to feed.

As soon as they reached the room the girl stood still, as Elena angrily pounced on her. Right then, she was feeling murderous. The girl had no right to flirt with Damon, and if Damon thought he was off the hook, he seriously needed to reconsider his feeding methods. The more Elena thought about it, the angrier she got and the harder she grabbed onto the girl's neck and fed, taking more and more of her blood.

"Elena. I think you need to stop." Damon said, however Elena just ignored him. She didn't care if the girl died or not, at least if she were dead she wouldn't be able to look at Damon again. "Elena." Damon called out her name again with a worried sounding voice, tapping her on the shoulder to get her attention, however she still acted like he wasn't there. Eventually Damon pulled her off the girl and Elena turned around, hissing at him as the girl dropped to the floor. Suddenly there was a blast from Elena and the girl shot across the room.

"Don't!" Elena scowled, at Damon, her fangs out and eyes red.

Damon looked back at her confused and almost scared of her strange behavior. "What the hell is going on Elena?" he cried, fear in his eyes as it dawned on him Elena had just performed some kind of magic. His eyes flew to Elena's stomach, as he realized this was related to the baby. His gut instinct was to suspect Elena might be jealous, as this had happened before during one of their feeds, although not to this extent. Damon pulled her into him and rested his hand on her stomach and kissed her. "I love you." he whispered. "Both of you." he smiled as Elena's features returned to normal, finally to be replaced by a look of horror on her face.

"Oh my god. What have I done?" she asked as she broke down in tears. "Is she..." Elena started, not able to look at the lifeless body of the girl across the room.

Damon let go of Elena and walked across to the girl who was still breathing, but barely. He bit his wrist and fed the girl some blood. After a minute she sat up and rubbed her head.

"I'm so sorry." Elena apologized. "I don't know what came over me." she said.

"Who are you?" the girl asked. "And why am I here?"

Damon looked into the girl's eyes. "Forget this ever happened. You went to the bathroom but opened the wrong door." he compelled her. "You found two people making out, closed the door and left." he said.

"I opened the wrong door to the bathroom, found two people making out and then I left." the girl said blankly as Damon helped her to her feet.

"Good, now leave." he told her as the girl left the room none the wiser. Once she'd left, Damon turned to Elena. "What the hell was that?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know." Elena shook her head. "One minute I was at the bar, watching you find someone for me to feed from, then I saw she was pretty and she started to touch you. I felt a little jealous." she admitted.

"A little jealous?" Damon asked confused. "She was dinner, your dinner. Why would you be jealous of your own dinner?" he shook his head.

"It was the way you looked at her." Elena said sheepishly. "You were flirting with her."

"But that's what we normally do." Damon argued. "What was different?" he frowned, realizing Elena was just as stunned by her own behavior as he was. To prove he wasn't genuinely angry with her, he held her close to him.

Elena leaned her head against Damon's chest. "I just saw red." she explained. "At first I felt a little threatened by the girl and possessive towards you. Then a sudden wave of anger hit me. I needed to make sure she didn't hurt you or take you away from me." she frowned. "It wasn't normal Damon. I wanted to kill her." she said.

"That's not good." Damon said wearily. "Do you think it's the hormones?" he asked as Elena shrugged.

"Yes and no." she replied. "There was more to it than that. It felt like she was a threat, and I was protecting us." she sighed. "I did magic." her voice lowered.

"The baby did magic." Damon corrected her. "Maybe the baby felt threatened and was able to project magic through you?" he suggested.

"I hope not." Elena sat down, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Because, if every time I feel threatened, and the baby feels it, things could get a little messy." she said.

"Well in this case, I could calm the baby down." Damon told her. "She just needed reassurance from her daddy that everything was going to be fine and that I love you both." he smiled.

"She?" Elena narrowed her eyes. "You think the baby is a girl?" she asked as Damon nodded. "What makes you think that?" Elena asked.

"Call it gut instinct." Damon smirked.

"Do you think we should call Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"Probably not a good idea." Damon frowned. "If everything is going to plan, right now, Sabrina and Little Gilbert should be... otherwise occupied." he grimaced.

"Oh right." Elena sighed.

"Are you okay, you look a little pale." Damon asked, his voice filled with worry as he noticed Elena's color wash away.

"I'm still hungry." she admitted. "I think the power burst took away a lot of my energy." she explained.

"You still need to feed." Damon sighed. "How about you stay here, and I go out shopping and bring you back lunch?" he joked. "Don't watch, just stay here and I'll bring the food. You just need to feed. Don't worry, I'll compel them and we'll see how you feel then." Elena nodded in agreement at his suggestion. "That way you won't get jealous of me testing dinner for drugs."

"It's probably for the best." Elena agreed.

"And when you are feeling a little better, maybe we can put some of that extra energy to good use." he smirked. "We've got this room to ourselves for the next couple of hours. I could even ask them to turn the camera's on and ask for the video footage afterwards." he winked.

Elena sighed. "Fine." she agreed rolling her eyes. "Go get me someone to feed from." she said as Damon gave her one last kiss and left her to go hunting.

As Elena waited patiently, she thought back to what had just taken place. It had been hard to explain, but Elena knew the baby had been able to feel the threat towards her and Damon, even if it was unfounded. It had been as if the baby had seen it through her own eyes and taken over her senses. Elena knew this was impossible as a fetus wouldn't understand these emotions, let alone get murderous. However the baby did seem to heighten her emotions and allow Elena to act on them with magic. The problem was, using magic to fight, had drained her. She needed more blood, therefore she needed to find a way to reel in the powers. But for the time being, Elena also needed to know how the powers would affect her, and as she had a practically unlimited food source right now, Elena figured, tonight would be a good time to practice, starting with her next meal.

Bonnie rested her head on Jeremy's chest. She had decided it was time to shed the old Bonnie, take the plunge and become a woman. And now she had, she had no idea what the fuss was all about. It didn't hurt like she'd expected, but apparently the first time being painful was less common in modern women. Jeremy had been sweet, loving and gentle, but he hadn't rocked her world. The problem was, she had nobody to talk to about it. Elena, in all likelihood wouldn't want to discuss the exact details as it involved her brother, Caroline was over a hundred miles away and there was no way in hell was she going to talk it over with Damon. However, Bonnie wanted to know how to make it better, because unless she was planning on getting pregnant, it didn't seem worth the hassle.

"You okay?" Jeremy asked as Bonnie's phone rang on the nightstand next to her. She picked it up and saw the caller ID was Caroline.

"I better get this." Bonnie said sitting up as Jeremy got out of bed.

"I'll go watch some TV or something." Jeremy nodded taking a hint, as he put his clothes on while Bonnie answered the phone.

"Caroline?" Bonnie asked, relieved to have someone to talk to about her and Jeremy.

"Bonnie, I'm sorry for calling, I couldn't get hold of Damon or Elena." Caroline apologized. "Otherwise I would have left you and Jeremy alone to... well you know" she said knowingly.

"Um...how did you know about me and Jeremy?" Bonnie asked.

"Matt told me." Caroline replied. "Apparently Damon and Jeremy had a man to man conversation earlier." she told Bonnie.

"Oh he did, did he?" Bonnie sighed. "So does everyone in Mystic Falls know about mine and Jeremy's evening?" she asked.

"Just me and Matt." Caroline explained. "Matt assumed you would have told me about it after Jeremy told him what he was planning." she said. "But although I want you to tell me all about it, that's not why I called." she admitted.

"Fine, we'll do the important serious stuff first before we tackle my sex life." Bonnie sighed, shaking her head.

"Earlier, a woman came looking for Elena." Caroline told her. "Matt and I told her she'd gone to move back to Seattle with her dad, Mikael." she explained. "We also called her Katherine to make sure the woman had no idea we knew she was fake. But the picture had you, Jeremy, Damon and Elena in it. She gave herself away when we used the name Katherine."

"Did you get her hair." Bonnie asked.

"Yes!" Caroline replied, sounding very pleased with herself. "It took a team effort with Matt involving distraction, but we got quite a bit. It's in the locket and I didn't touch it." she said proudly. "What do you want me to do with it?" she asked.

"I need to wait until Damon comes back." Bonnie told her. "He's not letting me give out the address to this place, but I want you ready to be able to drive up here with it as soon as he tells you." she said.

"That's fine." Caroline said before completely changing the subject. "Did you know Matt has decided to go on an all expenses paid, round the world trip with Rebekah?" she snapped. "I mean, seriously."

"He's doing what?" Bonnie asked, shocked at their friend's behavior. "Has she compelled him?" she asked.

"He's on vervain." Caroline told her. "He said he couldn't turn down the offer of the trip of a lifetime with a hot girl and no strings attached sex." she said. "I did warn him about what Rebekah did to Damon, but Matt said she knew the score and still wanted to do it."

"I just don't get what the fuss is about." Bonnie sighed.

"I take it we're no longer talking about Matt are we." Caroline said tentatively. "I'm guessing Jeremy didn't exactly rock your world."

"It was nice." Bonnie said hopefully.

"If Jeremy had rocked your world, you wouldn't have called it 'nice'." Caroline told her. "You'd have a huge grin on your face, similar to the one Elena permanently walks around with. Ugh!" she groaned.

"Oh come on, you never complained about Damon in that department." Bonnie challenged her.

"The only compliment I can give Damon Salvatore is he knows what he's doing with his tongue." Caroline told her.

"His tongue?" Bonnie asked confused.

"Did Jeremy not use his...you know what, never mind. We'll have this conversation when I get there." Caroline backtracked. "It was your first time and he probably didn't want to overwhelm you. My advice is go for round two, it might be better when you're both a little more comfortable with each other." she suggested.

"Maybe." Bonnie sighed, not sure if it was worth the effort or not, but Caroline could be right, Jeremy might have been holding back, so that he didn't scare her.

"Why don't you initiate it." Caroline offered. "If you do he might be a little less gentle." she said.

"Is that good?" Bonnie asked.

"Put on some sexy lingerie, go find him and find out." Caroline advised her laughing. "But I want the deets tomorrow when I come over." she said.

"Okay." Bonnie laughed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow." she said as they hung up. Bonnie took a deep breath and headed towards her dresser to take Caroline's advice and find the sexiest underwear she could in the hope it would go better the second time around.

Damon returned to the small office once more with another girl for Elena to feed from. She was the third one since the incident with the girl she'd nearly killed. As a result of Elena's actions, Damon had gone out of his way to pick the plainest girls he could find. Nobody too ugly as they would find it suspicious as to why such a hot guy as him were hitting on them, so he'd opted for the safer middle of the road variety.

Every time Damon came back with a girl, Elena fed and tried to do the same to the girl as she had attacked. However none of the times worked. Elena figured it was because she wasn't feeling threatened, and the baby could only heighten real emotions. Therefore she had decided a on different test this time. One where her real feelings could be used to see how she was affected with more blood in her system. The problem was, she was going to have to test the magic out on Damon, something which concerned her as she didn't want to hurt him.

Once Elena had fed and Damon had compelled the girl to leave, she turned to face him. She was feeling much stronger than she had since the frat party which she and Damon had attended, in what seemed like an entire lifetime ago. As she looked at Damon, she saw a small drop of blood on the corner of his mouth from where he's tested the girl for drugs. The thought of Damon being protective over her and the baby made her feel awash with love. And the sight of Damon with the small amount of blood, turned her on. In that moment, Elena needed Damon, with every fiber of her being. Damon smirked at her, knowing what was on her mind, although he probably wasn't prepared for what was about to happen.

In her mind Elena thought to her self _"I love him, I need him, bring him to me."_ As she did, a sense of warmth and love emanated throughout her body, and suddenly Damon was right next to her, his face completely stunned.

"What happened?" Damon asked with trepidation in his eyes.

"I decided I wanted you." Elena smiled. "And I got you."

Damon frowned. "And how does that make you feel?" he asked. "Tired?"

"Euphoric!" Elena grinned as she kissed him. "Even more powerful." she added.

"So negative protective magic wears you out, but positive magic seems to give you more power." Damon raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. This is something we are definitely going to have to run past Bonnie." he added thoughtfully.

"Um Damon." Elena interrupted him. "I want to put this power to good use." she said suggestively.

Damon narrowed his eyes and licked his lips, while examining Elena before taking hold of her hips and pulling them flush to his, while resting his forehead against hers.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Damon whispered seductively.

"Make sure I don't feel jealous again." she smirked.

"Now that's the best offer I've had all day." Damon replied as he pressed his lips against hers and they started to kiss.

  
  


 

 


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

The next morning Damon and Elena made their way downstairs to the kitchen for some coffee. After Elena had pulled Damon into her magical hug, they spent the following hour at the club with Damon proving the girl was no threat to Elena, a task he found thoroughly enjoyable. He also noticed while he was in her magical embrace, his love for her and the baby was almost overwhelming him, making him feel even more protective. Afterwards, Damon suspected this must have been a small glimpse of what Elena had felt when she saw red and attacked the girl, which was worrying him. Something needed to be done about the baby's powers, as it threatened to consume Elena, and possibly even him. Therefore when after a very long, hot, sexy shower with Elena, he was glad Bonnie and Jeremy were already up and making coffee.

"Good morning." Damon grinned as he and Elena walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools around the island. "Is the coffee drinkable?" he asked.

"Bonnie made it, so yeah." Jeremy replied as Bonnie poured some into two mugs and handed them one each."

"How was your night?" Elena asked innocently.

"It was nice and quiet." Bonnie replied, looking furtively at Jeremy, although she didn't smile too much.

Damon glanced between the two of them and deduced the evening might not have gone as planned, especially as the look on Bonnie's face suggested it had been a bit of a disappointment. Maybe the younger Gilbert just wasn't up to what Bonnie was expecting, and as sad as it may be, it was the least of his concerns right now.

"We might have a little problem." Damon frowned as he and Elena exchanged glances.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.

"I sorta performed magic last night." Elena admitted sheepishly. "Twice." she added.

"How?" Jeremy asked.

"It was triggered by her emotional reactions." Damon explained.

"I got jealous?" Elena admitted.

"What do you mean triggered by emotional reactions?" Jeremy asked. "Jealous? What did you do to my sister?" he said angrily turning to Damon.

"Calm down Jer." Elena told him. "Damon did nothing wrong." she insisted.

"I was hunting." Damon explained. "Elena thought my prey was too pretty and she felt threatened." he shrugged.

"I got a red mist." Elena continued. "When I started to feed, I nearly killed her, but Damon pulled me away before I could. Then I blasted her across the room." she frowned. "Luckily Damon saved her." she sighed.

"I got a little more selective with the prey after that." Damon nodded. "Made sure Elena wouldn't feel threatened. Plus I didn't hunt in front of her."

"Did that work?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah." Elena smiled.

"I thought you said twice?" Jeremy frowned.

"I tried more times than that." Elena shrugged. "But nothing worked because I didn't really feel the emotions which were guiding me."

"So what changed?" Bonnie asked.

"I thought about my love for Damon." Elena smiled.

"And then it felt like someone had wrapped their arms around me and dragged me across the room until we were practically touching." Damon explained. "I had no control over it."

"Anything else?" Bonnie asked standing up and walking over to the coffee machine.

"I had an overwhelming feeling of love and protectiveness." Damon told them.

"You never said anything about that?" Elena narrowed her eyes.

"You didn't give me chance." Damon smirked.

"Oh please, we don't need the details." Bonnie rolled her eyes and poured herself another mug of coffee and sitting back down at the island.

"It's okay, we've got it all recorded on a memory stick." Damon smiled mischievously.

"Pervert!" Bonnie coughed, nearly spitting her coffee everywhere.

"For mine and Elena's eyes only." Damon scoffed. "Although I'd suggest it could be very educational for those of lesser abilities in that department." his eyes examining the body language of both Jeremy and Bonnie, which was becoming decidedly uncomfortable.

"So Bonnie." Elena interrupted, dragging their attention away from the elephant in the room of Bonnie and Jeremy's previous night's escapades. "Have you got any ideas about what we can do?" she asked.

"I need to go through the book Emily gave me." Bonnie told them. "I think there might be a section of what to expect from the little one." she said, getting up. "I'll go get it." she said as she left the kitchen.

"I'll help." Jeremy added before running after Bonnie.

Elena frowned. "What was that all about?" she asked turning to Damon.

"Let's just say I think Sabrina had slightly higher expectations from last night." Damon sighed, wrapping his arms around Elena's waist. "I suspect she's seen how we are after we've been indulging in some private moments and thought what we had was normal. Sex is usually great, but we are exceptionally good together. Something you only get with your soulmate." he smiled. "Besides, I thought it was normal when you first lose your virginity." he shrugged as he kissed her.

"Maybe I should talk to her." Elena sighed.

"Do you want to know exactly what went on between her and your brother?" Damon asked as Elena pulled a face. "Trust me it's not nice. I've had it thrown in my face too many times. Let Blondie talk to her." he nodded.

"How did you know there were problems so quickly?" Elena frowned. "Bonnie was smiling." she said.

Damon smiled. "I've been around a hundred and seventy something years. You tend to learn a thing or two about body language." he explained. "Plus I could tell with her heartbeat. Just before she I told them about our little home movie, her heart rate sped up and she looked upset."

"Is that how you knew I had feelings for you?" Elena frowned. "You seemed convinced so much earlier. How did you know?" she asked.

"After the pageant, your heart sped up every time I walked into the room." Damon told her. "Even after I killed Jeremy nothing changed. You forgave me in just a week. Once that happened, I figured us being together was inevitable." he grinned.

"Ass!" Elena slapped him.

"I know, my ass is hot." Damon smirked. "And I know how much you like it." his eyes lowered and his face turned seductive. "So is yours, and I like that a helluva lot." he added as he ran his hand over Elena's behind and kissed her.

Elena lifted her leg up to his hip and pulled him in tight until they were both so engrossed in each other they didn't notice Bonnie and Jeremy come back into the kitchen.

"Ew...gross." Bonnie complained as Damon and Elena stopped kissing and turned to look at the intruders, both their faces vamped out in anger at being interrupted.

"Woah." Jeremy said holding his hands up in fear. "We're here with the book." he said slowly, which Bonnie lifted up for proof, as Damon and Elena's faces returned to normal and Elena lowered her leg.

"What just happened?" Bonnie looked at them in confusion.

"We thought you were threatening us." Elena said speaking on behalf of her and Damon, who simply nodded in agreement.

"But you don't normally react like that just by kissing." Jeremy frowned.

"It's the baby, it has to be." Bonnie said, a hint of fear in her voice. "The baby is having a hold on both of your emotions. There needs to be a way of lowering the baby's magic so it doesn't overwhelm you both." she said.

"How come it is affecting me?" Damon asked.

"I don't know." Bonnie answered honestly. "Hopefully it's somewhere in here." she added putting her hand on top of the book. "There's something else you need to know. Caroline called last night. A strange woman was asking questions about Elena."

"And you thought it was best to leave it until now to bring this up?" Damon asked raising an eyebrow.

"It's fine." Bonnie smiled. "Caroline told the woman Katherine moved back to Seattle with her dad Mikael." she said. "The woman bought it, so she obviously doesn't know where you are right now."

"And she needs to never know where Elena is." Damon said angrily.

"Calm down Damon." Elena said as Damon's eyes flashed. "You know um.. Bonnie, I think we need to do something about the baby affecting mine and Damon's emotions really soon." she told her.

"I agree." Bonnie nodded her head in fear. "Look, call Caroline. She can reassure you everything is fine. She got a lock of the woman's hair like I asked. If she's a traveler, we can keep an eye on them and be one step ahead at all times." she said.

Caroline had just gotten out of the shower. The first thing she did was to check her phone to see if she'd received any calls as she was expecting Damon or Elena to call her as soon as they got up, unless they were still in bed doing grotesque disgusting things which Caroline really didn't want to consider, but there was no missed calls. However as she sat down and began to comb her hair, her cell rang and Damon's name lit up, informing her of the caller. She pressed the screen to answer the call.

"Hello Damon, I take it you've spoken to Bonnie?" Caroline asked, deciding to skip the unpleasantries.

"You're on speakerphone Blondie." Damon told her.

"Morning all." Caroline said in a much brighter voice.

"Hi!" Elena replied.

"Morning." Jeremy grumbled.

"Good morning." Bonnie said.

"So you got the woman's hair?" Damon asked.

"I didn't touch it like Bonnie asked." Caroline told him.

"Good, we need you to come up here to Richmond." Damon told her. "We've got you a shopping list, so I hope you have a pen and paper ready." he said.

"Wait a minute." Caroline said as she opened her drawers and found a pen and some paper. "Go on." she said.

"So we need the locket." Bonnie told her. "It's so we can do a locator spell on the Travelers, see if they bought your story." she said.

"Got it." Caroline scribbled down Bonnie's instructions.

"Next we need an item from everyone we're intending to protect." Bonnie told her.

"Who are we protecting?" Caroline asked.

"You, Matt, Tyler." Elena said.

"Your mom." Damon added. "And do you by any chance have anything belonging to Klaus. I mean he did give you a couple of gifts." he sneered.

Caroline sighed. "Why Klaus?" she asked.

"Klaus is on the endangered species list." Damon explained. "If he dies, we all die and thus unable to save the world. I'm sure you get it." he said snarkily.

"Fine!" Caroline snapped. "Anyone else."

"Stefan and Ric." Elena added.

"Go to the boarding house and grab some of their stuff." Damon told her. "Try one of Stefan's journal's, it'll make fun reading." he joked. "And while you're there, grab all of the blood bags and a few bottles of boubon. I have no idea how long we're going to be living here." he said.

"And what am I supposed to use in the meantime?" Caroline asked.

"Bunnies?" Damon offered sarcastically.

"You'll have to stay here." Elena explained. "Nobody can know where we are." she said.

"Seriously?" Caroline asked. "I mean, no offense but I don't like the idea of staying with two couples." she started.

"Oh I don't think you've got too much to worry about there." Damon told her, which pricked up Caroline's ears. She knew Damon and Elena were completely inseparable and supposedly soulmates, so the problem wasn't with them. Damon's tone told her Bonnie's seduction might not have gone entirely to plan. A fact which meant her friend needed her as on this occasion, Elena would be of no help. However there was one last pressing issue.

"What about graduation?" Caroline asked. "I'm on the committee and everything will go wrong if I'm not in charge." she said.

"Conference call." Damon offered.

"Get Matt to take your place. With instructions." Elena suggested.

"Hopefully we won't be staying here too long." Bonnie told her.

"Okay." Caroline sighed. "Anything else?" she asked.

"I want you to take the van from the boarding house instead of your car." Damon told her. "It has a large refrigerator in the back. That way you can store all of the blood bags. It also means you can raid a few hospitals along the way." he said. "Elena's appetite is...growing." he explained.

"Oh." Caroline simply said. It hadn't occurred to her how Elena's pregnancy would affect her cravings for blood. "No problem." she said softly. "I'll get on it. Is that it?" she asked.

"I think that's covered everything." Bonnie told her.

"So what's the address?" Caroline asked.

"Just fill the van and call us from the hospital." Damon instructed. "Then I'll give you the address." he said.

Caroline frowned. She hated the secrecy, but she understood it.

"Okay, I'm going, I need to pack." she told them.

After she finished her call with Bonnie, Damon, Elena and Jeremy, Caroline packed her things, including one of Tyler's jacket's he'd once left at her house. She also included the drawing Klaus had made of her at the Mikaelson ball. Although she'd officially thrown it away, in truth she'd retrieved it and put it in a safe hiding place where nobody would look in her underwear drawer. Damon had been adamant he'd wanted Liz protecting at all costs, and as much as Caroline disliked Damon, she appreciated his protectiveness over her mom. Therefore she took one of her mom's books leaving a note promising to bring it back.

Next Caroline headed to the Grill, where Matt gave her one of his t-shirts, meaning she'd gotten all of the items to keep the five of them protected. In exchange, Caroline gave Matt full graduation committee planning instructions with a threat of making him wear Jeremy's ring while Damon snapped his neck if it all went wrong. This was enough of a threat to force Matt to comply to her terms as long as she shut up about him going around the world with Rebekah, to which Caroline reluctantly agreed.

Once she'd left the Grill, Caroline drove over to the Salvatore house. Ric had been staying at the boarding house before he left to go to New Orleans with Stefan. Initially Damon didn't want Ric being seen around town until her mom had confirmed she could come up with a credible story as to why he was no longer dead. Therefore Damon had taken a few of his things from Ric's loft to his new temporary home at the boarding house so all Caroline had to do was grab something from his room. She found a chipped mug with the name Alaric on it, clearly a birthday or Christmas present from someone, and a half drunk bottle of bourbon. Caroline grabbed both and added it to her growing treasure chest.

Finally she entered Stefan's room. The plan was for her to grab one of Stefan's old journals and use one of those for the spell. She looked around the room and saw shelves filled with old journals, bound by leather. Caroline looked through the years, trying to resist the urge to pluck one down and start reading his entries. She saw one marked 2009, and wondered if she figured in any of his entries, although she suspected not. At the time, Stefan only had eyes for Elena, even if it was only because of a curse. He'd brushed Caroline off when she'd flirted with him. Not that Caroline should care now, because her and Stefan were practically best friends, and she was supposedly deeply in love with Tyler. However, deep down there was a part of Caroline who wondered what would have happened if she'd have gotten with Stefan. On the plus side, the chances of her being a vampire would be significantly lower, and unlike most people, Caroline was better at being a vampire than a human. So all in all, it was probably for the best she hadn't dated Stefan.

Caroline finally chose the year 1922. she knew it was when he met Klaus and was at his worst. Even though she knew Klaus wouldn't feature in the journal, it gave her an idea of the kind of life Stefan shared with the Mikaelson's. And if Stefan could come good, then surely there was still hope for Klaus. Caroline took the journal downstairs, threw it into the passenger seat of the van. She collected twenty bottles of bourbon and cleared the blood bags from the basement refrigerator before setting off to Richmond to stay at the temporary Salvatore house.

After the previous night's initial revelation, Stefan and Ric had continued going through Kol's letters and taking down notes. They'd decided not to update Damon, Elena and Bonnie until the next day as they suspected everyone would still be in bed. Plus Elijah was visiting his the extremely rude werewolf Hayley, who they discovered, turned out to be pregnant with what appeared to be Klaus's baby.

Stefan and Ric were sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee and going over their notes when Elijah finally arrived.

"Good morning gentleman." Elijah smiled. "I hope you have found something of interest."

"We have." Stefan nodded.

"But we wanted to pick your brains." Ric told Elijah who frowned.

"Go ahead." Elijah nodded as he picked up a cup and poured himself some coffee.

"Have you ever heard of the Gemini Coven?" Stefan asked.

Elijah looked to the ceiling thoughtfully before taking a sip from the mug and putting it down on the counter.

"I believe their leader is created by a set of twins merging, one survives and inherits their twin's powers whilst the other dies." Elijah told them. "So yes, I have heard...a little about them. What of it?" he asked.

"We need to find them." Ric told him.

"If Kol's letters are to be believed, they are the ones who can help destroy Silas without the cure." Stefan explained. "And as you are hiding Katherine, I would assume you would find that information of some interest." he smirked.

"Indeed." Elijah smiled.

"Is that all you know?" Stefan asked. "Do you know where to find them?"

"Not exactly." Elijah frowned. "But I do know a few witches who might be able to be of some assistance. The witches in New Orleans are unable to practice magic." he told them. "Marcel Gerard has some kind of supernatural alert. And if they do perform magic without his authorization, then he kills them." he said nonchalantly. "They might be able to be...persuaded to help." he said.

"I don't think it's a good idea to alert people to the fact we're searching for the Gemini Coven." Ric warned them. "If what Kol has written is true, people will suspect the prophesy is coming to pass. We don't know who would be with us and who against us." he shrugged.

"I can say with utmost certainty that my family will do everything to help you." Elijah told them.

"Why?" Stefan asked. "Why should you care?"

"Because Silas is a threat to all of us." Elijah told them. "I remember the stories Kol would tell us. At the time we believed they were false, however they have been proven to be somewhat correct. My brother died to protect this world from Silas, my other brother had his mind confused to the extent he thought he was dying. This... Silas person needs to die without unleashing hell on earth. Not just for myself, but for the future of our family. I simply cannot allow that to go on without being of some assistance." he explained. Now please excuse me whilst I make some calls to inquire about the coven's whereabouts." he said as he pulled his phone from his pocket and left the room to call whoever he felt was trustworthy enough to help.

All day Damon and Elena had been trying to keep out of Bonnie and Jeremy's way. The air was thick with tension and neither of them knew how to deal with it. Clearly something had not quite gone to plan the evening before and had caused things to become awkward between the couple. For the first time, Elena felt like a completely useless friend and a terrible sister. Damon had offered to talk to Jeremy about what had happened, but Elena had stopped him. She wanted to wait until Caroline arrived for them to have a man to man conversation, although she had some reservations about Damon being the one to have this conversation with her brother. Unfortunately Damon was probably the most qualified person she knew so he was the best option.

Elena had been resting while Damon, Bonnie and Jeremy went through the book Emily had given them to see what information they could find out about the powers of the baby. They discovered it would be possible for Bonnie to do two things to help. The first was to channel the excess magic from the baby, and the second was to place it's magic in objects.

Normally when a witch place their magic in objects for later retrieval, they would put all of it into whatever item they'd chosen. However with the baby, the situation was completely different. As soon as the baby was stripped of it's magic, more would grow in it's place, meaning another object was needed. Bonnie figured the magic would need removing every other day. The book told them this would be uncomfortable and draining for the mother, which meant Damon was initially not on board with the plan. However once he realized the situation would be ten times worse if they didn't do it, then he agreed. It would just need a few blood bags and a trip to a club to help keep Elena's strength up.

It was late afternoon when Caroline called to say the van was filled with blood bags, the items for the protection spell, the locket and the bourbon. When she told them she was at St. Mary's hospital in Richmond, Damon gave Caroline the address for the house as they waited for the next guest to arrive.

Fifteen minutes after leaving to make his call, Elijah returned to the kitchen to join Ric and Stefan with a piece of paper in his hand.

"There." he said handing the piece of paper over to Stefan.

"What's this?" Ric asked as Stefan looked down at what Elijah had written.

"It's an address." Stefan frowned.

"You will find the leader of the Gemini Coven at that address." Elijah told them. "But I should warn you, the property is cloaked, and their leader is not very hospitable to strangers. He is constantly suspicious" he said.

"Why?" Ric asked.

"Back in 1994 his eldest son, massacred his almost all of his family." Elijah told them. "The Gemini Coven sought revenge in their own way and dealt with the matter internally. However, the Travelers would love to get their hands on this son of theirs and make him the leader of the coven."

"How, you said they needed to be twins." Ric frowned.

"He is a twin. He didn't kill his sister so he could still merge with her. Malachai Parker is an extremely dangerous individual." Elijah explained. "He has absolutely no feelings whatsoever. He is also a siphon."

"What's a siphon?" Stefan asked.

"According to witches, an abomination." Elijah told them. "Instead of having his own magic, he touches magical objects or people and draws the power this way, thus being able to temporarily perform magic. Should he have merged with his sister, he would have simply taken her power and easily won the merge." he said.

"And why would the Travelers want him in charge?" Ric asked.

"Malachai Parker has no interest in keeping the tradition of the Gemini Coven, he would either keep Silas alive for his own gains, or keep the prophesy alive to draw power from. You see the prophesy contains the power of two thousand years worth of Expression, plus the magic of Silas and the bloodlines. The child would never notice a dent in their powers, even if he drains them for a whole human lifetime." Elijah explained. "The Travelers would want him to help destroy the prophesy in exchange for the unlimited they would be able to provide.

"So all of this time we have been here, searching through the records while you knew all of this?" Stefan folded his arms.

"I did a little research of my own." Elijah smiled. "The prophesy child will be too powerful to survive without help. It's power must be kept in check, even whilst it is still in the womb. Magic can be put away, and I suggest your friends find a way to do that, otherwise Elena will die from being overwhelmed by magic." he told them. "I am sure it is in Miss Bennett's little instruction manual." he smiled.

"I think we need to call Bonnie and Damon before we go to Oregon" Ric suggested.

"Good idea." Stefan nodded before turning to Elijah. "Do you have any other pearls of wisdom?" he asked.

"Not yet, but I will endeavor to find out more information." Elijah smiled. "I suggest you call your brother with the news." he said, and with that he left Ric and Stefan to report back to Richmond.

It was another thirty minutes before Caroline arrived at the house in Richmond. Once they'd shown her around and to her room, Caroline quickly unpacked and handed over the goods for the spell while Damon stocked up the refrigerators in the house with blood bags. Bonnie put the locket away as she wanted to juice up with the baby's magic to perform the locator spell. But in order to do that, she needed to be completely blocked from Silas, otherwise he would be able to feed from Bonnie's power. This meant the first part of the spell was simply to block out Silas.

The power the baby had shown the previous night meant Bonnie knew the spell was now possible. All she had to do was have her, Damon and Elena sat in a circle of fire and salt, chant the spell while all three of them placed their hands on Elena's stomach. The baby already had some semblance of trust in Bonnie, but both Damon and Elena needed to tell the child to trust her and to protect Bonnie.

Eventually they were all ready, sat around the island in the kitchen waiting on Bonnie's instructions.

"So we need to do the spell outside." Bonnie told them.

"Why?" Elena frowned.

"Because otherwise Damon will kill me when he sees the scorch marks on his floor." Bonnie sneered at Damon.

"She has a point." Damon agreed.

"Fine. What else?" Elena asked.

"I just need the three of us to go and sit in the circle of salt I have drawn outside." Bonnie told them as they walked over to the window to look outside and see a ring of salt on the patio.

The three of them made their way out of the patio doors and sat inside the circle Bonnie had created.

"What happens now?" Damon asked.

"I'm going to create a wall of fire." Bonnie explained. "Then we all need to put our hands on Elena's stomach. You two need to tell the baby to trust me and to let me perform the spell. You don't need to say it out loud, the baby will feel your request and because it loves and trusts you, it will allow me to do what needs to be done." Damon and Elena simply nodded at this information. "As I perform the spell, the wall of fire will form what is like a roof over our heads. It is symbolic of blocking anyone from getting into our heads. So don't be scared." she warned them.

"So is this our protection spell?" Elena asked.

Bonnie nodded. "The baby is severing my tie to Silas, but allowing me to keep the Expression magic." she explained. "To do that, I have to be tied to the ultimate protection, which is what the baby provides. His or her magic is absolute and not even Silas or the Travelers combined can break through it. They won't be able to track us through locator spells either." she said.

"So what are you waiting for?" Damon asked as he placed his hand on Elena's stomach and closed his eyes.

Elena followed suit, as did Bonnie. Wordlessly Bonnie created a ring of fire around them. Her power so strong she no longer needed to verbally chant Incendia. However the spell to create the wall of mind protection from Silas required something a little stronger, and a verbal chant was required.

"Petere auxilium conteram in vobis est spiritibus magicis nexu ab eo ad Silam. se prohibere ab animo legere. Falso prophetæ vaticinantur in praesidio patitur magia mea, et faciam." Bonnie cried as the wall of fire grew higher. "Petere auxilium conteram in vobis est spiritibus magicis nexu ab eo ad Silam. se prohibere ab animo legere. Falso prophetæ vaticinantur in praesidio patitur magia mea, et faciam." she said again as the flames completely surrounded them. "Petere auxilium conteram in vobis est spiritibus magicis nexu ab eo ad Silam. se prohibere ab animo legere. Falso prophetæ vaticinantur in praesidio patitur magia mea, et faciam." Bonnie called out one last time as the wall of fire came together at the top, enclosing them in a tent like structure. It stayed like that for a few seconds, and then disappeared.

"It's done." Bonnie simply said.

Silas was sat inside a coffee shop in Willoughby, where he had arranged to meet a woman who claimed to know where Katherine Pierce was. He was tapping his fingers as the woman who called herself Joanna was slightly late. As a result, Silas had gotten bored and killed everyone in the shop and drank their blood. Not that he needed as much as when he first came out, but for some reason, he'd noticed his powers occasionally feeling a little more drained than he'd expected.

The bell on the door tinkled as in walked a small woman with dark hair flecked with gray entered. She glanced around the room and laid her eyes on Silas. Unperturbed by what she saw, she walked straight over to the table Silas was at and sat down.

"Joanna?" Silas asked as the woman nodded.

"Pity you killed the wait staff. I would've loved a cup of coffee." she said sarcastically. Silas looked her up and down frowning, he couldn't read her mind. Joanna smiled at him knowingly. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"You have my attention. What do you want? And how can you find my cure?" he asked. "I wish to be with my one true love."

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait for that now." Joanna sighed.

"Why?" Silas frowned.

"Bonnie Bennett will no longer be of any use to you to lower the veil." she said. "You see I'm a Traveler, and after you were entombed with the cure, a lot of things happened, meaning it is no longer as simple as finding a Bennett witch to lower the veil. A feud erupted between the families of the Travelers and then came the great divide. In the process, a prophesy was created to bring about yours and our downfall. And it seems Miss Bennett is in the thick of it." she told him.

"It doesn't matter, I have full control over her." he said.

"Do you feel that?" Joanna asked as the air momentarily turned cold.

Silas nodded. "What is it?" he asked.

"The prophesy. Right now yours and our magic is slowly being stripped from us. Once it has gone, we will be powerless and you can be destroyed using a weapon created by Qetsiyah's blood." Joanna explained. "Right now, you are losing the power you have over her, and as soon as she performs the protection ritual, you can kiss any connection to her goodbye."

"I need to stop her." Silas said slowly, but Joanna shook her head.

"I have a much better idea." Joanna told him. "We simply wait until the time is right to destroy the prophesy." she smiled.

"And when is that?" Silas asked.

"In seven moons time." Joanna explained. "That way we can fuel our powers through Expression and channel the energy into destroying the prophesy. Once we've done that, you can find your peace." she said.

Suddenly Silas clutched his head in agony. "What's going on?" he cried.

"Bonnie just severed her tie to you." Joanna winced as the headache began to creep up on her, but not to the same extent as it was affecting Silas. "Now you have no choice but for us to help you, because if you don't come with me, we're all screwed. You'll end up on the other side with Qetsiyah for all eternity and the Travelers will disappear forever." she said.

"Well, I hope you have plenty of things to keep me occupied for these next seven moons." Silas sighed as the pain in his head eased. "Because I get bored very easily." he warned.

"Oh don't worry." Joanna smiled. "I'm sure we can occupy your time." she said standing up as Silas got up and followed her out of the little coffee shop.

  
  


 

 


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Stefan was officially concerned. He'd tried calling Damon and Bonnie's phone's all morning, but there was no answer. Then he'd tried Elena's, but again there was no answer. The phone he was using was a temporary one for security and he didn't have Jeremy's number which left him without another contact at the safe house, which Damon still hadn't spilled as to its exact location. Eventually out of desperation he called Caroline to see if she knew what was going on as Caroline usually knew everything. After only three rings she picked up.

"Stefan." Caroline answered cheerily. "How's New Orleans?" she asked.

"Hey Caroline. Thank god there's someone answering their phone. We've got a lot of information." Stefan told her. "Elijah has given us a lead on a coven of witches who would protect the baby. We just need to let Damon and Bonnie know the next moves. Have you heard from them?" he asked.

"I'm with them now at the safe house. Well sort of." Caroline told him."They're outside with Bonnie. She's doing a spell with them." she said.

"What kind of spell?" Stefan frowned.

"Apparently the baby is getting really powerful, so Bonnie has to suck the magic out, or something like that." Caroline explained. "But to do that, she needs the baby to cut Bonnie's tie to Silas and protect the three of them from his mind compulsion. Once she's done that, she's going to protect the rest of us." she said.

"Does that include me and Ric?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, I stopped off at the boarding house and took one of your journal's and Ric's mug." Caroline told him. "Don't worry, I haven't read it." she assured him.

"Which year?" Stefan asked.

"It was 1922." Caroline replied causing Stefan to grimace as Ric entered the kitchen. Stefan mouthed the word Caroline to him.

"Hey Caroline, I'm going to put you on speakerphone so Ric can hear. Is that okay?" he asked, pressing the speakerphone function on the screen of his phone.

"Sure." Caroline said.

"How are they going to control the baby's power?" Stefan asked. "Elijah suggested putting the baby's magic into objects." he said.

"Um..Jeremy..." Caroline said. "Do you know what Bonnie has planned?" she asked. "I'm just putting Jeremy on speakerphone as well." she told them.

"That's what Bonnie's planning to do." Jeremy told them. "Right now she's breaking her link with Silas and gaining the trust of the baby to allow her to use its magic. Then she's putting the protection spell on them so they're all safe from Silas's mind control. After that she can channel the baby's power for magic instead of using her own. Hopefully that will drain the baby's powers a little so she doesn't have to put the magic in an object too often as it won't be nice for Elena." he said.

"Why what will happen to Elena?" Ric frowned.

"The magic removal will make her weak and possible feel sick." Jeremy told him. "She'll need extra blood to keep her strength up and it will need to be straight from the vein. So I'm not taking vervain anymore." he said.

"You think she can control the blood lust?" Stefan asked worriedly.

"I'd like to say Damon would be able to help, but the baby is now affecting him too." Jeremy told him.

"How?" Stefan and Ric exchanged concerned looks.

"Earlier, Bonnie and I came into the kitchen." Jeremy told them. "They were making out in a heavy way. When they heard us they stopped and were on guard to attack us. Their faces were all vamped out, and it took a few seconds for them to realize we weren't a threat." he said.

"And apparently Elena nearly killed someone last night because she got jealous." Caroline told them.

"Jealous of what?" Ric asked. "The only other thing Damon has eyes for is his car." he laughed. "I think Elena is safe in the knowledge Damon would never cheat on her." he said.

"According to Elena, the girl Damon got for her to feed from was too pretty." Jeremy explained. "Elena didn't like the girl flirting with Damon and felt threatened. That's when she performed magic and nearly killed her prey. Then apparently she did something to pull Damon to her with love or whatever, and ever since he's been acting all weird. It's like they're connected." he said.

"The baby is recognizing both parents." Elijah said as he suddenly appeared. "It wants to feel secure and loved. Therefore it is connected to them. I suspect they will become a little more...amorous." he warned them.

"Seriously?" Caroline spat.

"Eww. Is that even possible?" Jeremy asked.

"The more powerful the child gets, the more Damon and Elena will wish to be intimate. If they are doing the protection spell, this will allow Miss Bennett to get near them without being attacked." Elijah explained.

"Should we be keeping Elena weak or strong?" Caroline asked.

"She'll need every ounce of strength possible." Elijah replied. "Blood fresh from the vein on a regular basis, especially after magic has been removed from her. Blood bags will simply not be enough for her." he advised. "Now gentlemen, I must leave, I have matters to attend to. If you need anything, you know how to contact me." Elijah told them as he left the room.

"Look, why don't we go through the last few bits and pieces here and pack up before calling to talk to Bonnie, Damon and Elena." Ric suggested.

"I think that's for the best." Stefan agreed. "Just tell them we called and we'll update them of our next move." he said.

The four of them said their goodbyes and hung up.

"So." Ric sighed. "I think one of us needs to go back to Mystic Falls, or wherever the hell Damon and Elena are to help them feed." he said. "Elena isn't going to let Damon hunt for the prey and it's not fair on Caroline to go with them on a hunting trip considering their methods. So do you want to do it or shall I?" he asked.

"So it's a choice between a ripper and a newbie vamp who has little control over his blood lust." Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"I say we flip for it." Ric suggested taking a coin out of his pocket. "Best of three. Winner goes back to supervise the feeding." he said. "Heads or tails?" he asked.

"Heads." Stefan replied as they tossed the coin. The result eventually meant Stefan was heading to stay at the safe house while Ric would head out to Oregon and visit the Gemini coven.

"Haha. Sucks to be you." Ric laughed at Stefan, who sighed, not looking forward to going back to Mystic Falls, or wherever the hell Damon and Elena were.

At the house in Richmond, Bonnie had finished her spell to protect Damon and Elena, and to break her tie to Silas using the power of the baby. During the spell, she'd had a small glimpse of how the baby made Damon and Elena feel when it sent out a wave of love, which had almost overwhelmed her with emotion. Bonnie knew if they were feeling that with heightened vampire emotions, they could become extremely dangerous to anything which threatened them. Luckily Bonnie was now immune to being deemed as a threat as the baby would view her with love too. The protection spell for everyone else was to prevent Silas from gaining control over their minds, but considering now she knew what sort of energy she was dealing with, Bonnie knew she would have to update the loved ones list to ensure none of her friends got hurt just by walking in on Damon and Elena kissing. So she decided after doing the protection spell she'd take time out to go through the prophesy book and her grimoires to see if there was anything she could find to channel the love and extend it to their immediate friends. It was also a good excuse to get away from Jeremy as things were getting very awkward and fast. She knew they needed to sort their problems out, she just didn't know how to deal with it. But magic she understood, so she gathered the stuff together which Caroline had brought with her.

Caroline had given her her daylight ring to use for the spell and Jeremy gave her the Gilbert ring. All of the occupants of the Salvatore safe house were now gathered around the island in the kitchen. Bonnie placed the items she'd gathered on the island as they were all talisman she was using because this was a type of representational magic. Bonnie filled eight glasses with water to represent the eight people she had left to protect: Caroline, Jeremy, Stefan, Ric, Matt, Tyler, Klaus and Liz. There was also a single lit candle in the middle representing the baby. For this spell there was no incantation, she just closed her eyes and willed the baby to protect the chosen loved ones and Klaus, from Silas's mind control.

The flames on the candles lit higher and the water started to bubble in the glasses. Everyone except Bonnie, who's eyes were tightly shut, looked at each other uncomfortably. Caroline, who had to stand far back to ensure she was nowhere near daylight, had been nervous about giving Bonnie her ring, but she was promised no items would be damaged during the spell. However her words seemed obsolete when they saw how powerful the spell appeared to be. Strong magic was always unsettling and creepy, but they knew they were going to have to get used to it for the time being.

Eventually the water stopped bubbling and the flames went out. Bonnie opened her eyes and scanned the nervous looks all around them. It often baffled her why they were so scared of ghosts and magic. After all Damon, Elena and Caroline were vampires, which should technically be the most fearsome of the supernatural creatures. Yet deep down, their humanity seemed to creep in when it came to magic and ghosts, and they suddenly became scared of the unknown. Bonnie smiled inwardly as Damon and Elena were going to get a rude awakening when the baby was born, because they were about to become the parents of one of the most, if not the most powerful witch to ever exist. And whether or not they were aware of it, Bonnie was going to be the person they needed the most as she was a witch and Elena's best friend, meaning she'd be there to help with the child's magic as it grew.

To relax everyone, Bonnie picked up Caroline's daylight ring, and the Gilbert ring and returned it to their respective owners.

"All done." Bonnie smiled as Caroline looked at her skeptically. Bonnie dragged her friend over to the window where nothing happened and Caroline blew a sigh of relief. "I told you it would all be okay." Bonnie said smugly.

"Thanks Bonnie." Elena smiled. "I don't know what we'd do without you." she said gratefully. "I just wish there was something we could do for you." she said sadly.

"It's fine." Bonnie nodded. "I'm doing it for all of us. But right now I need to be alone to look up another spell." she said as she headed out to the parlor with her book and grimoire.

"Don't worry Elena." Damon whispered in her ear. "I've got an idea about how to say thank you. Just leave it to me." he smiled. "I'm just going to call Stefan first." he said as he kissed her on the cheek and headed to the dining room for some privacy, leaving Elena to catch up on the Mystic Falls gossip with Caroline.

Stefan and Ric had finished packing their things and were almost ready to call the Salvatore safe house back. They hoped Bonnie would have finished the spells by now and they would have time for a quick chat. Ric had already booked his flight to Portland, which included short stop in Denver. Stefan couldn't book his flights as he didn't know where he was heading. So when Stefan's phone rang and he saw it the caller ID was Damon he answered it immediately.

"Hey baby bro." Damon's voice sounded cheerful. "Blondie said you called earlier."

"Damon." Stefan replied courteously. "Ric's here and you're on speaker phone." he said.

"Hi Ric." Damon called out.

"Good morning." Ric replied. "How did the spells go?" he asked.

"All good." Damon told them. "Silas can't get into your head anymore, and as long as we all have a safe word for Stefan, then we should be good."

"Why do we need a safe word for me?" Stefan frowned.

"Because there's an evil guy with your face running pretending to be you." Damon sighed. "If we have a safe word, then we can at least be certain it is you. He can't get into our heads so unless anyone accidentally spills, he won't know what the safe word is."

"Who is going to have access to this safe word?" Stefan asked.

"Only those who are covered by the protection spell. Nobody else is allowed to know it." Damon told them. "None of us can be mind controlled by Silas, anymore." he replied.

"So, what is the safe word?" Stefan asked.

"Are you both alone?" Damon asked.

Ric checked outside the kitchen and made sure neither Hayley nor Elijah were around before closing the door.

"Go ahead." Stefan said quietly.

"Popsicle." Damon replied.

"Are you kidding me?" Ric asked.

"It's a safe word." Damon said. "We'll update it weekly. If you don't like it I'll let you pick one next time Ric." he said sarcastically.

"Fine." Stefan sighed. "Stop arguing. So onto other matters, I'm coming home to wherever you are or Mystic Falls." he said. "Ric lost the coin toss and he's going to see this Gemini Coven."

"You can come back here. We can't have you in Mystic Falls. The Travelers have already been there, apparently they moved on, but we only know of one of them." Damon told him. "There could be more of them there, and they'd know who you are straight away."

"So where am I going." Stefan asked.

"To the airport." Damon replied as Stefan rolled his eyes at the obvious response. "When you get there call me and I'll tell you where to collect your plane tickets. You'll need the safe word." he said.

"Okay Damon." Stefan shrugged. "Is there anything else?" he asked.

"Nope. Except Ric, you be careful. Apparently you're kinda important to the plans, so don't get killed." Damon told him.

"I'm immortal Damon." Ric said in an exasperated voice.

"Didn't stop you from getting killed last time did it?" Damon replied as Ric and Stefan simply looked at each other.

"I'll see you soon. And say hi to everyone for me." Ric said.

"I will." Damon replied.

"Speak to you soon." Stefan said to the phone.

"See ya later baby bro." Damon replied as there was a click telling them Damon had hung up.

"I guess we need to get going." Ric said as they picked up their bags and took them out to the car before heading off to the airport.

After Damon had finished his call to Stefan and Ric, he booked the airline tickets from New Orleans to Washington Dulles airport. Damon then hired a car for Stefan to drive straight to the house. Considering how fast Stefan could drive, it was probably quicker than him catching a connecting flight to Richmond. Once that was done Damon went on to tackle the next challenge, which was Jeremy and Bonnie. For that he needed the help of Blondie who was currently gossiping with Elena about something to do with Rebekah and the Quarterback, but he was trying not to pay too much attention. As he entered the room, the girls stopped talking and Elena walked over to Damon and put her arms around him.

"I'm glad your here." Elena smiled as Damon kissed her on the nose.

"Me too." Damon whispered back. "Stefan's on his way." he announced loud enough for Caroline to hear. "I figured it might be an idea for him to keep Blondie company." he smirked.

"Damon!" Elena slapped him playfully raising a pout while she yawned.

"I think you need to get some rest." Damon instructed her as he rubbed her back. "You'll need your strength for later." he said winking.

"I think you're right." Elena agreed, yawning again as she kissed Damon. "Bye Caroline." she added as Caroline waved at her.

Once Elena had gone upstairs to rest Damon tilted his head, indicating he wanted to have a word with Caroline about something, although she already had an idea of what it was about. The tension between Bonnie and Jeremy in the living room had been so thick, you could have cut it with a knife. They headed to the garage where the refrigerators were kept for the blood bags under the premise of doing a stock take and working out a plan of action for supply. This was partially true as at some point in the near future this would become a necessity, but at that moment the main concern was Bonnie and Jeremy.

"So Blondie, any ideas?" Damon asked.

"I'm blaming you!" Caroline folded her arms and sucked in her cheeks.

"So now you're blaming me for Sabrina and Little Gilbert's shitty sex life?" Damon creased his brow. "I've done some bad shit in my time, but I've never been accused of fucking up someone's love life. Actually..." he frowned remembering Bree's words. "Actually scrap that, I did ruin it for number of women as nobody could live up to my standards." he smirked.

"Seriously!?" Caroline folded her arms. "See, this is exactly what I mean." she said.

"It wasn't me that slept with Judgy!" Damon protested.

"I know you didn't." Caroline acknowledged. "What I'm saying is you and Elena are so loved up, she might have set her standards a little too high." she said.

"Has she said anything to you?" Damon frowned.

"When I called her last night to tell her about the Traveler in the Grill, it was just after the first time." Caroline told him. "I don't think disappointed covers it." she sighed.

"How did she describe it?" Damon asked.

"Nice." Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Ouch!" Damon grimaced. "That's not good." he sighed. "And I'm guessing he needs a man to man chat?" he asked as Caroline nodded. "Did she give any pointers as to what he did wrong?"

"I don't think she knew herself." Caroline shrugged. "I told her to put on some sexy lingerie and seduce him for round two." she said.

"And the outcome?" Damon asked.

"I think their faces say everything." Caroline sighed.

"Ah... Although I'm not sure Little Gilbert knows what's wrong." Damon frowned. "I don't think he's picked up it was anything to do with the previous night."

"What makes you say that?" Caroline asked.

"When we came downstairs, Little Gilbert had post sex glow and Bonnie had...well, lets put it this way, she didn't have post sex glow, lets leave it at that." Damon told her. "I've kept them distracted most of the morning, but Little Gilbert is starting to suspect something is wrong." he said. "I can't believe I'm doing this teen drama shit." he shook his head in disgust.

"You're the one who wanted to make sure there were enough bedrooms for everyone." Caroline tilted her head. "You've been playing cupid...badly." she argued. "I mean seriously Damon, did you think flowers and a romantic setting would be enough? It was her first time and Jeremy is seventeen."

"True." Damon nodded in agreement as he suddenly had an idea.

"So what do we do?" Caroline asked.

"You talk to Sabrina, I'll talk to Little Gilbert." Damon sighed. "As Elena is resting I guess this is as good a time as any to talk to them." he grimaced at the thought. "Don't worry, I'll be tactful." Damon assured her.

"Just make sure you are. You don't want to scare him off sex for life. I'm sure Elena wants nieces and nephews." Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I won't." Damon promised. "Maybe we need to try something different, sexier." he suggested.

"Like what?" Caroline frowned.

"Well my last plan backfired because I thought they were in love and wanted romance." Damon explained. "But that didn't work, so maybe try the fun sexy approach instead." he said. "How about we all go to a club tonight and Elena and I show Jeremy exactly how to dance with a member of the opposite sex." he suggested.

"Don't you think that will gross him out?" Caroline asked. "She is his sister."

"Not if we make it clear it is for educational purposes." Damon shrugged. "You and Stefan should come too. My little brother needs to let his hero hair down once in a while. If anyone can talk him into it, you can." he said frowning, as it dawned on him Caroline was the person closest to Stefan right now, and how much his brother needed her.

"Fine." Caroline sighed.

"Just don't get judgy about me and Elena feeding, remember she needs blood from the vein and this is the easiest way for her to get it and not to feel guilty about it." he said.

"Okay." Caroline agreed. "Shall we talk to them now?" she asked.

"I can't stand the tension in this house for much longer." Damon nodded. "So yes." he said, and with that they left to find Bonnie and Jeremy for their respective chats.

Damon found Jeremy in the garden looking pensively at the pool.

"Little Gilbert." Damon grinned as he pulled up a sun lounger next to him.

"Dick!" Jeremy scowled.

"Hey, I set you up for a romantic evening with the love of your life and that's all the thanks I get?" Damon frowned. "For once in my life I try to do something good and I get called a dick. And you wonder why I kill people? At least when I do that, they've got a valid point." he snapped.

"Yeah...well." was all Jeremy could say, looking downcast.

"Spill." Damon sighed. "Something obviously went wrong." he said.

"What makes you think that?" Jeremy frowned.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that you look like you were promised a puppy for Christmas but got a Barbie doll instead." Damon said sarcastically. "And Sabrina... well she doesn't know where to put her face." he added.

Jeremy looked around furtively and lowered his voice. "I think she's embarrassed because everyone seems to know what we were doing last night. It's like we might as well have had an audience." he snapped.

"In a house like this, that's usually the case." Damon agreed. "I'm sure it's quite obvious when Elena and I have been..."

"Yes, and I don't want to hear it." Jeremy shook his head.

"Why?" Damon raised an eyebrow. "When you've got a house with two couples, this is going to be the scenario, and nobody will judge you. Elena and I want you both to be happy." he said sincerely.

"Why should you care?" Jeremy asked.

"Three reasons." Damon told him. "First I love your sister and she wants you to be happy, ergo I want the same thing." he said.

"Wow, you are whipped." Jeremy snickered as Damon threw him a dangerous look, prompting Jeremy to quickly shut up.

"Secondly, a happy household is less stressful for Elena and the baby, and as you and Sabrina are so close, we thought the extra love could be spread around and make us all a bit happier." Damon told him. "And third, if everyone who needs to be safe has to stay here, there could end up being a shortage of beds, and I'm sure you'd prefer to share with Bonnie instead of the Quarterback." he added with a smirk.

"I should have known there was an ulterior motive." Jeremy scowled.

"Yes!" Damon agreed. "To ensure you weren't traumatized for the rest of your life after having to spend the night with Donovan."

"Fine." Jeremy snapped.

Damon waited a moment to let Jeremy calm back down. "Look, you know what, I think we need a beer for this." he said as he walked over to the summer house which had a small bar inside and pulled out a couple of bottles of beer before sitting back down and handing Jeremy one. "One of the reasons I loved this house was this bar." Damon smirked. "It was the deal maker."

"Cheers." Jeremy thanked him but there was no smile.

"So why the glum face?" he asked. "Shouldn't you both be up there at it like rabbits?" he asked.

"You tell me." Jeremy sighed.

"So what did you two do? Play tiddlywinks?" Damon frowned as Jeremy looked at him pointedly.

"No!" Jeremy replied abruptly.

"Look, I can't help if you won't talk to me." Damon sighed. "So I'll start. Do you love Bonnie?" he asked.

"Of course I do." Jeremy frowned.

"Is she the one?" Damon raised an eyebrow, to which Jeremy had to think. "Ding, ding, ding, time's up. You had to think about it." Damon mimicked ringing an invisible bell.

"How am I supposed to know?" Jeremy asked. "I'm only seventeen." he said quietly.

"If she was, you'd know." Damon said smugly. "And we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"What do I do if she isn't?" Jeremy frowned.

"Get a new girlfriend?" Damon suggested, however Jeremy simply glared at him. "Fine! Look, I've got an idea. But it depends on how judgy you and Sabrina are prepared not to get." Damon said. "Stefan will be back soon. Maybe we can all go to a club tonight. Just as long as a blind eye is turned to how Elena and I feed." he suggested. "Remember, she needs blood from the vein."

"How is going to a club gonna help?" Jeremy asked.

"Dancing is a great aphrodisiac." Damon grinned. "Watch how Elena and I dance together, you'll soon get the picture." he smirked.

"Elena would never agree to it." Jeremy shook his head.

"Leave your sister to me." Damon smiled. "If she thinks it's for the greater good, she'll be all for it."

Caroline found Bonnie alone in the parlor. It was quiet and Bonnie was going through the book Emily had given her regarding Elena's pregnancy and trying to get the baby to view their friends as loved ones to protect Damon and Elena from attacking them. She hadn't told anyone about her intentions, she needed to see if it was possible first.

During the spell to protect Damon, Elena and herself against Silas, Bonnie had managed to use a lot of the baby's power, meaning she hadn't needed to put the magic into an object yet. As far as Bonnie was concerned, the less often she had to do that, the better it was for Elena and the baby. The only problem as Bonnie wasn't going to need magic every day so she figured she was going to have to find a way to do magic even if it was pointless. Suddenly Bonnie heard a noise, when she looked up she saw Caroline, who smiled. Bonnie closed the book and her grimoire and smiled back although deep down she was grimacing. She suspected she knew what her friend was there for, and she'd been waiting for this conversation.

"Hi." Bonnie smiled.

"Is that stuff for Elena's pregnancy?" Caroline asked as Bonnie nodded.

"It goes through some of the spells and stages she'll go through." Bonnie told her. "Were you wanting to know about it?" she asked, her voice filled with hope although she knew this was not the purpose of Caroline's visit.

"Later." Caroline smiled as she sat down next to Bonnie on the couch. "I think we have the more pressing concern of what happened last night after we talked on the phone." she said.

"Um...well nothing happened." Bonnie said sheepishly.

"I thought you were going to go and seduce him." Caroline frowned.

"I put my silk robe on and went to sit with him on the couch, but I just couldn't build up the courage to do it." Bonnie admitted.

"And Jeremy didn't try anything?" Caroline asked in shock.

Bonnie shook her head. "No." she said sadly.

"Do you want to try again?" Caroline asked.

"I guess." Bonnie shrugged. "But is there any point? I mean what if it doesn't get any better?" she asked.

"Well, I have the perfect solution." Caroline grinned. "Damon and Elena are going to a club later to feed. How about you, me, Jeremy and Stefan go with them?" she asked.

"Do you think Damon and Elena will mind?" Bonnie asked, perking up.

"As long as we don't say anything about their feeding habits, they'll be fine about it." Caroline smiled.

"Will Elena even allow Jeremy to go?" Bonnie frowned.

"Leave that to Damon." Caroline smirked. "He's assured me Elena will be fine with it."

"Why do you think this will help?" Bonnie asked.

"Let's just say, sometimes what you need is something a bit more edgy." Caroline tried to explain. "Getting carried away with the music, dancing, bodies swaying together, hands roaming..." she said seductively. "I'm sure you get the picture." she smirked.

"You think it will work?" Bonnie raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Let's get you looking all hot and sexy first. Jeremy won't be able to resist." she smiled.

"Okay." Bonnie said, nodding in agreement.

Damon slipped into bed beside a sleeping Elena and curled up next to her, her back against his chest and his arms around her waist. This was when he was at his most relaxed and comfortable. Her scent calmed him down, although it worked him up in other ways. The sound of her breathing, reassured him. And now the sound of two heartbeats, Elena's which was slow and methodical, then the other one, which belonged to the baby, racing so fast it almost felt like it was humming. Together, Damon loved it, they were a family, something he never in his wildest dreams had ever imagined possible, and he couldn't be happier. There was however, one thing he did want to do, but he wasn't sure if Elena would be ready for this step, although she should as they'd pledged to be together forever. It was just a matter of finding the right moment, however it needed to be sooner rather than later because he wanted to make her feel more secure in their relationship, to avoid the problems of the night before. Therefore Damon decided there was no time like the present. It wouldn't be the most romantic of proposals, but he wanted not just Elena's, but the baby's consent and this was the perfect opportunity to get it.

To wake Elena up, Damon brushed her hair to one side, and began to kiss her neck, knowing she loved being woken up this way. It was time for her to get up from her afternoon nap as they were expecting Stefan within the next hour. And not only was he going to propose, he needed to talk her into letting Jeremy go to the club with them that evening.

Elena stirred and moaned with pleasure as Damon nibbled her earlobe just for the extra effect. He slid his hand into her panties and began to stroke her folds and massage her nub. Elena moaned louder, while Damon mouth made it's way to her shoulder. Elena arched her back, pressing her hips towards Damon's groin, and as much as he desperately wanted to make love to her, this was all about giving her pleasure, because the one thing he'd learned over the past few months, was that Elena was especially horny when she woke up. Also, he wanted to talk to her first before they made love, because if she said yes, the sex would be a hundred times better.

Damon dipped his finger inside her deliciously wet warmth, and Elena moaned even more loudly. Her breathing was getting faster and more erratic as Damon began to massage her nub. He knew she was close and he loved doing this, feeling her come undone in his arms was one of the best feelings in the world. His inserted another finger and curled them knowing exactly what effect it would have on her. Just as he knew she was on the brink, he sank his fangs into her neck, causing Elena to explode around him.

"Oh my god...Damon..." she panted as he felt her wet inner walls contracting around his finger, all the while he gently sucked at her blood, taking in the sweet taste, which had gotten better since she'd become pregnant. Damon wondered if it was something to do with her hormones, but whatever it was, it was the most delicious blood he'd ever tasted.

As Elena began to come down from the high of her climax, Damon removed his hand from her panties and mouth from her neck. He sucked his fingers, taking in her juices and offered her is wrist. Elena bit it as he enjoyed the sensual feel of her lips on his skin. This wasn't a sexual feed, he was just giving back what he'd taken to increase her pleasure, it was something they'd done a number of times since she'd become pregnant and after they'd decided his blood was safe for her to drink. What it did do was bring them closer in that moment, as a calmness swept over him with an overwhelming sense of love, which he knew must come from the baby, who he believed was giving her consent.

Eventually Elena turned over and kissed him. She cupped his face with her hand and hitched her leg over his thigh, suggesting she was ready for more. However, Damon wanted to wait until they'd talked, so he pulled away from the kiss, which resulted in a frown and a pout from Elena.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing is wrong." Damon grinned. "I hope not anyway." he added.

"So why stop?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

Damon's heart started to beat faster than normal, for the first time since he turned, he was truly nervous. Something Elena picked up on immediately, as a look of fear crept up on her face.

"I want to talk." Damon smiled.

"What about?" Elena frowned.

"Us." Damon said nervously. "It's nothing bad, I promise. But that depends on you." he added shyly.

"Well spit it out." Elena said grumpily.

Damon took a deep breath, this wasn't going quite as romantically as he'd planned, but it was too late to back out otherwise Elena would become suspicious. "Will you marry me?" Damon asked nervously.

Elena's eyes widened with shock. She'd never expected Damon to propose so soon, if ever. As much as she wanted to say yes, she needed to put the obvious question to him first.

"Is this about me or about the baby?" she asked.

"A bit of both." Damon admitted. "I've wanted to ask you ever since our first night together, but I didn't want to jump the gun and it be too soon." he admitted. "And with everything that's been going on, I didn't want to rush you."

"So what changed you mind?" Elena asked.

"Last night." Damon told her. "I realized you were still unsure about how committed I am to you Elena. But in reality I'd always thought it would be the other way around, me always being worried about whether you wanted to stay with me. Last night showed me you were pretty committed to us." he smiled. "I love you, I want to spend eternity with you, and I'd really love it if you became my wife." he whispered hopefully.

Elena finally smiled. "I hope you've got a nice ring." she teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually I wanted you to help me choose it." Damon smiled. "I know of this great little jewellery store, but it's not local." he sighed.

"Where is it?" Elena frowned.

"London." Damon smirked. "I thought we'd take a little trip after graduation." he suggested, pulling two plane tickets from the back pocket of his jeans.

Elena smiled. "Yes." she whispered as she wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and they began to kiss passionately until Damon pulled away once again, but this time he had a grimace on his face.

"Oh-oh." Elena raised an eyebrow. "What now?" she asked.

"I've sort of invited Jeremy, Bonnie, Stefan and Caroline to the club with us tonight." he told her. "I'm still playing cupid." he admitted as Elena laughed.

"What help do you think the club will do?" Elena asked.

"I told Jeremy to watch us dance, and replicate it with Bonnie. If he doesn't get her all hot and bothered like that, he never will." Damon smirked. "And then we can resign them to a lost cause." he shrugged as Elena nodded.

"Fine. We could tell celebrate the good news." she smiled.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Damon whispered as his eyes automatically dropped to her lips. "I say we start practising some of those sexy moves right now." he growled.

"Thought you'd never ask." Elena grinned as their lips crashed together and they began to kiss once more.

  
  


 

 


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

It was early evening when Stefan finally arrived at the safe house. He'd driven from Dulles airport in record time. He was shown to his room to allow him to unpack before the meeting up with everyone in the living room which was adjacent to kitchen. Everyone was sat one one of the couches, except for Damon, who was stood in front of the fireplace which was already lit. Stefan sat down, waiting for Damon to take the lead.

"First things first." Damon said as he turned to Stefan. "Welcome back brother, hope New Orleans treat you well. Is it true Klaus got a werewolf pregnant?" he asked.

"There must be something in the water, what with all of these impossible, supernatural pregnancies." Stefan nodded. "Maybe I should drink some." he said wistfully as Elena cast him a sympathetic glance. Out of the Salvatore brothers, it was Stefan who'd been more keen on wanting a family, yet it was Damon who was getting it. Elena wondered if it was possible for Stefan to get the cure and become human at the end of all of this mess and once the curse was completely broken. That was if there was still a cure somewhere out there.

"Ooh daddy Klaus. That should be interesting." Damon grinned. "Imagine if it's a girl and she brought a guy home, he'd be dead before dinner." he laughed as everyone looked at Damon wearily, which stopped him. "What? I'd never do that. I'd at least give him a last meal." he joked as Elena raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "Okay, never mind." he turned to Stefan. "So what did we learn in New Orleans?" he asked.

"According to Kol's letters, there is a coven of witches out near Portland called the Gemini Coven." Stefan explained. "They were part of the Travelers before the great divide, or whatever it is called. As we already know, the Travelers magic reduced by fueling Silas's power. After the great divide, the rest of the coven broke into two, becoming the Bennett Coven and the Gemini coven. They sought the out prophesy and together, with Qetsiyah, they promised to protect it. Over the decades there were visions given to them of what was needed to destroy Silas. The Gemini Coven even created a fixed time portal so if ever anything went missing, they could find another version of it."

"Time portal?" Damon frowned. "Like a safety deposit box, time travel fashion?" he asked.

"Something like that." Stefan nodded. "They wouldn't tell Kol everything. But Elijah told us some other information which means they used it for another purpose too." he said.

"What else did they use it for?" Caroline asked.

"As a prison." Stefan told them as they all looked at each other in shock.

"How?" Jeremy frowned.

"The coven is made up of a leader who is the result of twins merging their powers together." Stefan explained. "One lives and takes on the powers of the other twin who dies at the age of twenty two." he said.

"Eww nasty." Damon grimaced.

"Well a few years ago a set of twins were born. They were the ones who were destined to merge, except there was a problem." Stefan said. "One of the twins was not a normal witch, he was a siphon."

"What's a siphon?" Elena asked.

"It's a witch who has no magical abilities of their own." Bonnie explained. "Instead the draw their power from other magical sources." she said.

"How?" Caroline asked turning to Bonnie.

"A siphon would only have to place their hands on a vampire to draw energy." Bonnie shrugged. "They're classed as an abomination of nature among witches." she said as Stefan nodded with a smile. "If he was a siphon, he may not have magic of his own, but during the merge, all he'd need to do would be to siphon the power from his twin. He'd always win." she explained.

"And it turns out this siphon was a psychopath." Stefan added. "He went on a killing spree and killed some of his siblings." he told them. "So instead of using him for the merge, they trapped him in one of these time portals, where he relives the same day over and over again."

"Like groundhog day?" Elena asked.

"Yeah." Stefan nodded. "That way he can't go to the other side and create mischief."

"What if he gets out?" Jeremy asked.

"He can't. He was locked in by the combined magic of the Gemini Coven and a Bennett witch." he said looking at Bonnie.

"Grams." Bonnie said flatly as Stefan smiled.

"But something makes me think this isn't the only time portal in existence. They would have needed some kind of test portal before they put the magic away." Stefan added his own theories which he hadn't voiced to anyone other than Ric.

"So what does this have to do with protecting the baby?" Damon asked.

"Only the Gemini Coven knows of the actual weapon which can be used to kill Silas." Stefan explained. "They've got it hidden in one of their little worlds, or at least a version of it. Ric has gone to see them." he said.

"Well considering he is the one who is meant to do the actual killing, or so we think, I guess he's the right man for the job as they'll probably only speak to him anyway." Damon shrugged.

"Good point. Didn't think about that." Stefan frowned. "Lucky he won the coin toss then isn't it?" he grimaced.

"Anything else?" Elena asked.

"Only that Bennett witches are always near a doppelganger." Stefan told her.

"All of us?" Elena frowned.

"Qetsiyah and Amara. The doppelganger who created vampires had the witch Ayana. Katherine had Emily and Lucy. You have me." Bonnie smiled. "Bennett witches fated to be born near a doppelganger makes sense." she shrugged.

"Is that it?" Damon asked, itching to relay his and Elena's good news to cheer everyone up.

"I'm done." Stefan replied.

"Good!" Damon grinned. "Elena." he said, holding his hand out to her which she took and stood up next to him. Damon placed his arms around Elena's waist and beamed at everyone. Elena smiled back lovingly at Damon until a noise distracted them.

"Ahem." Jeremy feigned a cough. "Don't you think you two are bad enough without putting on a show?" he sighed.

"Actually Little Gilbert, Elena and I have a small announcement." Damon said smugly. This statement grabbed everyone's attention. "Earlier today, I asked Elena to marry me." Damon smiled.

"And I said yes." Elena grinned. "As long as the wedding is after the baby is born, I want to make sure I've got my figure back." she giggled.

Initially the room went silent. Damon and Elena had only been together for five months, and here they were pledging not just a few years together, but potentially hundreds of years as a couple. The first person to respond was Jeremy.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked as Elena and Damon looked at each other, disappointed by the lack of enthusiastic reaction from their loved ones.

"Of course it is." Elena narrowed her eyes.

"I mean it's not the baby making the decision because it wants it's mom and dad to stay together?" Jeremy continued, sarcasm laced in his voice.

"It doesn't work like that Jeremy." Bonnie told him, shaking her head. "The baby only understands emotions, not actual questions." she told him.

"So why are you getting married?" Jeremy asked bluntly.

"Because we love each other." Elena told him.

"But why so soon?" Jeremy shook his head.

"We're not getting married for a while yet Jeremy." Elena told him. "Why are you so against it?" she asked.

"Don't you think you're rushing into things?" Stefan interrupted. "You've only been together five minutes. You might hate each other in five years time, let alone five hundred."

"They won't." Bonnie smirked as she stood up and hugged Elena. "Congratulations." she said before turning to Damon. "I know you won't hurt her, but if you do..." she started.

"I'll stake me myself." Damon grinned. "Thank you Bonnie." he said as Elena raised an eyebrow at Damon using Bonnie's real name instead of his usual nickname.

"How do you know Bonnie?" Caroline asked.

Bonnie turned to look at Caroline. "When I did the protection spell earlier, part of the spell allowed me to feel some of their love for each other." Bonnie told her. "It was only for a split second, but it was there. I never realized love could feel so...powerful." she said. "If I ever experience love half as deep as what they feel, I'll consider myself a very lucky woman." she smiled as Jeremy's eyes dropped, which Elena picked up on immediately.

"Love doesn't grow overnight Bonnie." Elena said. A statement which was much for Jeremy's benefit as it was for Bonnie's. Elena had suspected the reason for last night's apparent disaster between her brother and Bonnie was because Bonnie's feelings for Jeremy weren't as strong as she thought they were. Elena had noticed Bonnie's heart rate never raced faster when she was in Jeremy's presence. Therefore Elena suspected the relationship was doomed, and she knew Bonnie did, but it wasn't her place to interfere.

"As long as you're happy." Stefan smiled as he got up and hugged Elena and then Damon.

"Does that mean I can help plan the wedding?" Caroline asked, her voice hopeful.

Damon looked at Elena fearfully, although he knew what the answer would be. "As long as it's not too big, or too over the top." Elena smiled. "I also want you both to be my bridesmaids." she said.

Caroline got up and hugged the couple as everyone looked to Jeremy, being the only true dissenting voice.

"Jer?" Elena pleaded.

"Don't you dare hurt my sister!" Jeremy threatened Damon.

"You can stand at the front of the staking queue if I do, and I won't stop you." Damon agreed.

"Dick!" Jeremy said to Damon as he hugged his sister.

"Good, now we've got that settled, I think it's time we went out for a little celebration, don't you?" Damon called out. "But for any of those who are squeamish, I suggest you don't watch Elena and I feed." he added.

"It's movie night at the club. All of the music is from movies over the years." Elena told them.

"Great, retro stuff." Stefan sighed.

"There might play Bon Jovi." Elena suggested.

"Didn't they do one of those rat pack movies?" Damon frowned.

"Brat pack, and it was Young Guns Two." Caroline corrected him as everyone looked at her suspiciously. "What, Emilio Estevez looked hot in it." she said defensively.

"Whatever." Jeremy laughed.

"We know you're a fan of the Breakfast Club brother." Damon added. "Simple Minds." he teased.

"Oh bite me." Stefan replied as everyone laughed.

"Ladies." Caroline announced, deciding to change the subject as she looked to Elena and Bonnie. "I say we go upstairs and make ourselves look fabulous." she said.

"Not going to argue with that." Elena smiled.

"Me neither." Bonnie agreed as they headed upstairs to change for the club.

"So what do we do now?" Jeremy asked once the men were the only ones left.

"Stefan and I get are going to get drunk before getting ready to hit the club." Damon smirked. "You on the other hand are allowed a mild buzz." he said. "Shall we show Stefan the summer house?" he suggested to Jeremy, who nodded as all three walked out into the garden.

A few hours later, the six of them arrived at the club. They walked straight to the front and were immediately let in, as the guy on the door had already been compelled by Damon a few nights back. Caroline had managed to get Bonnie into a little dark green dress, while she herself wore black. Elena had opted for something more casual and decided upon a short denim skirt, a black tank top and black pumps. Damon was also wearing black, this was so if they got a little blood on their clothes, it wouldn't be too noticeable. Both Jeremy and Stefan were wearing jeans and tee shirts. On the surface, they looked like three very attractive couples, although Caroline and Stefan were only making up the numbers.

Damon had reserved a booth for them to sit and drink between dancing, and for Damon and Elena, feeding. This was where everyone was sat, except for Damon, who'd gone to the bar to order their drinks, and had been an unusually long time.

"I'm getting thirsty, can you see him?" Caroline asked Elena as she stood up and looked over to the bar, but Damon was nowhere to be found.

"Okay, I'm officially worried." Elena said, panic creeping into her voice.

Bonnie noticed a change in Elena's mood, something she could feel radiating from the baby, and she knew she had to do something if Damon wasn't back soon, as Elena was likely to get dangerous.

"Maybe he had to queue and go to the bathroom?" Bonnie suggested, hoping it placate Elena slightly. "This place is crowded, he might have had to wait a little." she added, knowing she sounded stupid as Damon never waited. He'd have compelled the entire line of men before he had to queue.

Right at that moment, a waitress arrived at the table with their drinks, as Elena began to get even more nervous.

"He should be here." Elena insisted.

"And here I am." Damon smirked as he appeared from behind the waitress who was going through the drinks with everyone to ensure they had the right order. "Elena honey, come here, I think we should give our waitress a tip, don't you?" he asked, adding emphasis on the letter p, which initially raised a small smile from Elena as he held his hand out to her.

When Elena reached him she suddenly stopped smiling. "Where were you?" she scowled at him.

"You'll see." Damon grinned. "It's a surprise and I think you'll like it." he added before turning to the waitress. "I want you to follow us, no screaming, it won't hurt in fact, not only will we make it worth your while, you'll really enjoy it." Damon compelled her as he and Elena walked off with the waitress behind them, leaving the rest of the occupants of the booth stunned by the turnaround of events.

"What was that?" Caroline asked shaking her head.

"We promised not to judge." Stefan reminded her.

"Seriously, they're not going to make that waitress feel...well you know what I mean." Caroline folded her arms indignantly.

"Oh I think they are." Jeremy smirked.

"It is not funny!" Caroline pouted.

"No Caroline, you're right, it's not funny." Stefan started.

"It's okay." Bonnie interrupted. "They won't take it that far. Elena told me all about it once." she said. "They make it physically enjoyable in whatever way the prey likes to feel pleasure, whether it be getting high, drunk or if it is sexual. Then afterwards Elena compels them to tell her something about their life, and compels them to do better." she shrugged, when suddenly Bonnie felt strange. It was a mixture of happiness, love and feeling a little buzzed. She turned her head to the dance floor only to see Damon and Elena dancing together suggestively. "Um...guys." she said as the rest of the table looked in the direction of the dance floor to see what was going on.

"You're too young to see this." Caroline said as she covered Jeremy's eyes with her hand which he quickly squatted away as he remembered Damon telling him this was what he should be looking to do with Bonnie.

"Is that how people dance seductively?" Jeremy frowned, not sure how the hell he was supposed to pull off moves like the ones Damon was doing with Elena, as he tried to concentrate of the educational notion instead of where Damon was placing his hands on his sister.

Suddenly the music changed and 'Lady Marmalade' rang out from the speakers as Damon and Elena beckoned for their friends to join them on the dance floor. Jeremy offered Bonnie his hand, they stood up and made their way over to the couple. However Damon wasn't just wanting Bonnie and Jeremy to do some flirty dancing, he had bigger fish to fry.

Caroline looked hopefully at Stefan who's face told her he really didn't want to dance, but the expression of pleading she wore, tore at his heart strings and he agreed, which was somewhat of a surprise to him. Usually he had to be dragged up or drunk to dance, but he didn't mind doing it for Caroline. They got up, but once they found Bonnie and Jeremy; Damon and Elena had disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Stefan asked Bonnie and Jeremy.

"They're still hunting." Bonnie told them as that warm feeling engulfed her once more. "I can...feel it." she frowned.

"Feel what?" Jeremy asked as they all danced to the music.

"The effect of the feed." Bonnie smiled. "It's quite...exhilarating." she grinned as she put her arms around Jeremy's neck and they started to dance closer together.

"Well, it looks like it's just you and me." Stefan said awkwardly to Caroline.

"I guess." Caroline sighed. "Look, let's just dance. Nothing like those two." she tilted her head over to Bonnie and Jeremy who were kissing. "Just like we would if we were at a decade dance." she said in a matter of fact voice.

"That suits me fine." Stefan smiled.

Damon watched the action between Stefan and Caroline with some interest. He'd always suspected Blondie had a soft spot for Stefan, and although she was still in mourning over Tyler leaving, he knew she'd soon move on. Damon's main concern was for his brother. Stefan's feelings for Elena had evaporated and he'd even told Damon he struggled to imagine him and Elena together as she felt like a sister. However the curse was still out there and Damon needed Stefan to want to fight it if it came down to the Travelers trying to ensure the doppelganger's continued the bloodlines. For this Damon had formulated a plan, he needed a love interest and he hoped Blondie would be the perfect solution. This meant he was going to have to play cupid again, but this time it was for more than the happiness of the intended couple. It was a fight to stop Silas.

His plan had been simple. Damon had gone to the bar, ordered the drinks, leaving the waitress to take them back to the table. He then went over to the DJ and gave him a list of songs which he compelled him to play. Stuff which was sexy but enough to warrant normal dancing, including a few Bon Jovi numbers, regardless of whether they were in films or not. Then on to the second part of the plan. Damon knew he wouldn't be able to do this alone, which was why he'd taken Elena away to feed, hoping she would agree with his idea.

Once they'd fed and the waitress had been compelled, Damon told Elena what he was up to. Elena confirmed Caroline did at one point have the hots for Stefan, but she wasn't sure if Caroline had settled for friendship because she'd been such an advocate of Elena and Stefan being together. However she wanted to see both of them happy, and if that was with each other, she was on board with Damon's plan. Her only issue had been Stefan's inability to love Elena as a human, until Damon pointed out Stefan's inability to like Caroline as a human, yet he cared for her as a vampire, an ironic role reversal of his feelings for Elena. Therefore, as soon as their friends were all on the dance floor, Damon and Elena had slipped away and left their friends to dance while they fed. Every now and again, Damon and Elena kept an eye on their friends, paying close attention to the body language. Bonnie and Jeremy were glued together by the lips, while Caroline had managed to keep Stefan on the dance floor, possibly helped by the Bon Jovi songs Damon had asked the DJ to play.

By the time Damon and Elena had finished feeding from their fourth victim and compelled him to stop smoking weed, they'd decided they'd had enough for the night. Blood and sex were a great combination, but because of their loved ones being nearby, they'd had to restrain themselves; something which was now becoming impossible to ignore.

"Do you want to keep the movie theme when we get home?" Damon asked as he had an idea.

"Sounds interesting." Elena smiled as they slipped out of the back entrance. "How about a dancing lesson?" she winked.

Damon and Elena were giggling as they finally found their bedroom. Elena was buzzed from the blood and her desperate need for Damon. Ever since she'd heard some music from Dirty Dancing in the club, she'd had a sudden urge for a private dance lesson of her own. And once Damon had suggested a movie theme for their bedroom activities, Elena had made it clear which film she wanted. Despite the age of the film, Elena had made Damon sit through the movie twice as it was one of her favorites. This was probably because of her love of dancing when she was younger, but ultimately the music and love story had been what clinched the deal for her.

Fortunately for Elena, Damon loved to dance. This had stemmed from his time as a human when he'd found it useful to meet ladies, and over time his moves had developed with the evolution of music over the decades and the dancing which went with it. What he'd never been able to appreciate was how it felt to dance sexually with the woman he loved as he'd always believed it was Katherine and that she was stuck in the tomb. He'd danced suggestively with Elena, but it had been at clubs as a result of bloodlust, and they'd danced romantically at home. So when Elena suggested a private Dirty Dancing lesson, he knew exactly what she wanted. Fortunately, Damon's music collection was large enough to incorporate Solomon Burke's Cry to Me, the song from the love scene in the movie.

Damon pressed the play button of the MP3 player as Elena got up from the bed and walked over to him.

"Dance with me." she whispered, the exact lines from the movie.

Elena began to unbutton Damon's just before the music started, while Damon just stood there watching her, not moving, all the while the music came pouring through the speakers.

_When your baby leaves you all alone  
And nobody call you on the phone_

Elena pushed Damon's shirt from his shoulders, while he continued to stand completely still, only moving to help her with his shirt. Elena placed tiny kisses on Damon's collarbone while her hands roamed the muscular contours of his chest.

_Doncha feel like crying  
Doncha feel like crying _

_Well, here I am, my honey c'mon, cry to me_

Elena circled Damon like prey. Her hands tentatively made their way down his arms, as if it was the first time she'd ever been allowed to touch him. She placed kisses along his shoulders, while continuing her thorough examination of Damon's back. Elena's hands made their way down to his waist and his behind, which she gave a quick squeeze before making her way back to face him.

_When you're all alone in your lonely room  
And there's nothing but the smell of her perfume_

As they faced one another once more, Elena went to kiss Damon's neck. She felt her eyes tingle and her fangs elongate as she gently bit him, however she withdrew almost immediately, licking the blood from his skin, which was already healing. Damon's head dropped as he pulled her in tight to him, taking in her scent. He brushed her hair away from her neck and pierced her skin with his fangs, just as Elena had, licking up the blood before it had time to even spill. Elena leaned back as Damon's lips made their way to her clavicle, peppering kisses along the bone before pulling her back up and flush to his body.

_Doncha feel like crying  
Doncha feel like crying _

Damon's thigh was between Elena's legs as they began to sway to the rhythm of the music. No interpretation from the film was needed as the song itself was the guide to their movements. They stopped as Damon lifted Elena's tank top up as she raised her arms to allow him to pull it over her head, leaving her in just her bra and skirt. Damon placed his hand under her knee and pulled it up to her waist, allowing his thigh to brush against her core.

_Doncha feel like crying  
C'mon, (c'mon) cry to me_

Elena unfastened the button on Damon's pants with one hand, which made it's way around the back and inside his boxer briefs, where she gave the naked flesh of his behind a squeeze, this time a little smirk appeared on her face as they continued to move to the music.

_Woah, nothing could be sadder than a glass of wine alone  
Loneliness loneliness, it just a waste of your time, oh yeah_

Damon's hand ghosted it's way up Elena's spine until he found her bra, which he unclipped. He had to be careful with Elena's breasts as they'd become tender since she'd gotten pregnant. He threw the bra across the room as they started to kiss and sway to the music, their hips grinding together, Elena rubbing up against Damon's every growing erection, while his thigh brushed her ever dampening core.

_You don't ever have to walk alone  
You see, Come take my hand, and baby, won't you walk with me? whoa yeah_

Damon picked Elena up by the waist and she wrapped her legs around his hips. They continued kissing holding on tight to each other. With one hand Damon's fingers were tangled up in Elena's hair, the other was around her back. Elena cupped Damon's face with one hand, the other around his neck.

_When you're waiting for a voice to come  
In the night there is no one_

They broke away from the kiss as Elena wrapped both hands around Damon's neck and leaned her head back, exposing her throat to him. Again he gently pierced the skin with his fangs, this time taking in a little more blood than before, sending shivers down Elena's spine.

_Doncha feel like crying (cry to me)  
Doncha feel like crying (cry to me)_

Damon walked them over to the bed and slowly lay Elena down on her back as his lips made their way down her body. He ran his hands down her legs and removed her shoes, before lowering the zipper on her denim skirt.

_Don't you feel like cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cry (cry to me) cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crying? (cry to me)  
Don't you feel like cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cry (cry to me) cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-cr-crying?_

Elena lifted her hips to help Damon as he gently pulled the skirt off. His lips quickly found their way back to Elena's stomach before making their way down to the waistband of her panties. He raised his eyes to hers as the music disappeared, but they had forgotten all about that. The only awareness they had was of each other.

Not prepared to wait any longer for,Damon ripped Elena's panties and threw the shredded material across the room. He parted her folds with his fingers and began to press his tongue inside her core, while his fingers worked their magic on her nub. Elena's hips bucked as she started to grab hold of the sheets with one hand and Damon's hair with the other. Damon's mouth left her core and made it's way to her nub, where he licked, sucked and nipped. He slipped two fingers inside her core and gently stroked the inside of her walls, before building up a quicker pace.

Elena wasn't sure how much more she could take. Her body was on fire from Damon's touch and his mouth was working her into a frenzy. Her breaths had become shallow and a sheen of sweat already coating her body. Elena glanced down at Damon and noticed his features change, his mouth left her nub, only to be replaced by his thumb. Damon's fangs elongated before he buried them into Elena's femoral artery, and with that Elena's world shattered into a million pieces. Her white hot core contracted violently around Damon's fingers while the rest of her body felt like there was a current of electric pleasure shocks.

"Oh god, Damon...yes..." she cried out loudly as he removed his mouth and fangs, before making his way back up her body, his thumb only stroking her clit, allowing her to come down from her high.

Once he'd was hovering directly above her, Elena noticed there was blood at the corner of his mouth, so she lifted her head and licked it away, tasting herself on him. Damon captured her lips with his as they kissed passionately, their tongues exploring and tasting one another. Elena felt for Damon's pants, but realized he must have, at some point, removed them, because all she found was his very erect shaft. She wiped the pre-cum from the tip with her thumb and slid here hand up and down his length, hardening him even further, causing Damon to moan into her mouth. Elena rubbed his member up against her core, coating him with her juices, before she lined him up at her entrance.

Gently, Damon pushed his shaft inside her, slowly stretching and filling her, until she finally felt complete and at one with him. Damon moved his hips, pulling out almost all of the way before thrusting inside her once more, this time with a little more force behind it, although, as Elena noted, not quite as much as he used to. Their lips met once more as they hips moved in unison. Elena lifted her knees for deeper penetrations, it also allowed her to cup Damon's behind, something she often liked to do. In response, Damon ran his fingers down the side of Elena's body, causing her to shiver with desire.

They broke away from the kiss, both knowing what they wanted and needed. Their faces both vamped out as they bit each other on the neck, drinking one another's blood, allowing the union to be even deeper than the physical sense. They could feel each other's emotions and connect in ways humans would never understand. To Elena this was one of the biggest perks of being a vampire, and she had been lucky enough to find the only person in the world, with whom she could share this level of intimacy so soon after turning.

Their pace picked up as they knew they were getting closer to finding their release. Making love like this was only perfect when the person you were with was your soulmate. With anyone else, it would be nice, but it wouldn't rock her world to the extent it did like when she was with Damon. They both removed their fangs from each other and started to kiss again. No words needed to be spoken, the sounds of their moans of pleasure spoke an entire language all on it's own. The only other sound was the crackling of the fire and the slapping of their damp, sweaty skin. Neither of them cared about that though, their bodies were building up for release, which was apparent by their now frantic thrusting.

Damon slid his hand between them and began to massage Elena's clit. Jolts of electricity flew up throughout her body at his touch, as if it were a mach being lit inside her, burning until it finally met the flammable boiling heat in the pit of her stomach. When the two forces joined, Elena cried out.

"Damon...yes...yes...oh god...ahh." she shouted as her body began to thrash while her core contracted around vigorously Damon's shaft. Elena dug her fingernails into Damon's behind and scratched the nape of his neck as she arched her back. All the while her core was helping Damon find his release.

"Elena...uh..." was all Damon could say as his brow creased up in pleasure as Elena felt him spill his seed inside her.

Damon collapsed on top of Elena, panting unnecessarily as they didn't technically need to breathe. They both lay their in each others arms for a moment, coming down from their orgasmic high, before Damon turned his head to look at Elena and smiled.

"I love you Damon Salvatore." Elena grinned.

"I love you too Elena Gilbert, soon to become Mrs Elena Salvatore." Damon smiled as he pulled his softening member out of her.

Damon rolled onto his back and pulled Elena's body in close to him as they curled up together and finally went to sleep.

  
  


 

 


	45. Chapter 45

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

The next morning, after they'd gotten up and had hot and steamy sex in their new shower, Damon and Elena entered the kitchen to find the only one up was Stefan who had a coffee in one hand and was reading something on his phone.

"What's up brother." Damon asked as Stefan looked up from the island, while Damon poured two mugs of steaming hot coffee and handed one over to Elena.

"Ric hasn't got your number." Stefan reminded him. "He text me last night to say he's arrived in Portland and is going to find the Gemini Coven today. He'll let us know how it went later. Do you want me to give him your number?" he asked.

"Sure." Damon replied as he took a sip of coffee.

"What happened to you two last night?" Stefan asked innocently.

"I felt a little tired." Elena lied.

"Is that right." Stefan nodded. "It's funny because Bonnie felt something else." he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Something else?" Damon asked as he put his coffee down.

"Hmm." Stefan smiled. "You see, every time you fed, Bonnie got either a blood high or blood lust." he told them as Damon and Elena exchanged looks of horror. "Not sure Jeremy was complaining though." he added.

"Oh my god." Elena clamped her hand over her mouth.

"How many times did this happen?" Damon asked.

"Three times." Stefan replied.

"Well that's not right." Elena removed her hand and looked confused. "We fed four times." she said.

"Interesting." Stefan frowned. "You must have done something different with one person than you did with the others." he said.

"There's nothing I can think of." Damon said thoughtfully. "We fed the same."

"Well there must have been something different, so until we can work out what that difference was, it looks like Bonnie's going to be getting high every time you feed." Stefan tried not to laugh.

"Maybe she'll be a little less Judgy." Damon sneered.

"I doubt that." Bonnie said as she entered the kitchen. "I'll need to go with you when you feed until we can find out what you have to change to stop it affecting me." she said.

"So you're saying you didn't have fun last night?" Damon raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile in the process.

"Don't give me that crap!" Bonnie snapped. "It made me feel and...do things." she said, lowering her voice as a faint red tinge appeared on her cheeks.

"Haha. Sabrina got laid last night." Damon started to laugh until he saw Elena giving him a dirty look.

"Damon!" Elena glared at him before turning to Bonnie. "What do you mean it made you feel and do things?" she asked.

"I felt...really strong and powerful." Bonnie explained. "It also made me feel..." she sighed and shut up.

"Do you want to talk somewhere else?" Elena asked.

"Why?" Bonnie folded her arms.

"Because we need to know if the feeling is the same as blood lust or a blood high." Damon explained. "They're different and you'll end up wanting to do different things." he explained.

"So if it's blood lust I'll crave blood?" Bonnie frowned. "Because I can assure you I didn't have any urges to drink blood." she added.

"It's not that." Stefan shook his head. "A blood high is kinda like being drunk or high on drugs. Blood lust is when you don't want the feeling to stop. You want more to make it feel better. You'll do anything to feed the need for blood or in your case whatever you were craving as a human. That's if you were craving something." he added.

"Did you crave anything?" Elena asked as Bonnie nodded.

"I think I experienced a bit of both of those." she explained.

"What did you crave?" Damon asked.

"Magic." Bonnie whispered. "I wanted more power." she said.

Damon walked over to the wet bar, which Elena noticed, had miraculously appeared overnight. She didn't say anything, deciding to ask Damon if he knew where it had come from. Damon poured himself a drink and gulped it down quickly. A sign Elena had come to recognize from Damon that he was thinking and formulating a plan. However just then Caroline walked into the kitchen.

Caroline stopped and folded her arms as soon as she saw Damon and Elena. "And where did you two skulk off to last night?" she asked in her most disgusted voice.

"We were tired and wanted to go to bed Blondie." Damon scowled.

"Yeah, well next time, tell us you're leaving." Caroline scowled.

"Bonnie knew we were fine." Elena assured her.

"That is not the point!" Caroline tilted her chin in the air. "We're supposed to make sure you two are safe from the Travelers. How can we know if you've disappeared for a sex-a-thon?" she asked as Damon nearly spat the contents of his second glass of whiskey over the floor.

"Look Blondie." Damon stormed up to Caroline. "We did nothing different to what we would have done before you turned up. What difference could you have made against Silas and his witch groupies? Hey I know, sweet fuck all!" he said angrily as Elena put her hand on Damon's arm to calm him down, except she didn't succeed, instead she suddenly became angry herself

"Oh-oh." Stefan remarked as Bonnie also started to scowl at Caroline. "Caroline, I'd suggest you apologize quickly otherwise you're going to get a witchy headache and possibly a snapped neck." he said.

Caroline realized what danger she was in as she looked at all three of them, their faces contorted in anger.

"Fine." Caroline sighed. "I'm sorry okay. I was just worried about you." she said sweetly. Immediately Damon, Elena and Bonnie calmed down.

"What the hell happened there?" Bonnie asked, her voice full of fear.

"I have no idea." Damon said slowly. "Hmm, I hope that's not going to put a kink in my plans." he frowned.

"What plans?" Elena asked.

Damon turned to Bonnie. "Sabrina. How powerful is the baby today?" he asked.

Bonnie put her hand on Elena's stomach and grimaced. "She's going to need draining of magic." she said.

"Do you think your witchy connection is lower when the baby is less powerful?" Damon asked. "You said you felt it as soon as we fed." he said. "Does that mean the connection was stronger?" he asked.

"Good question." Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "It could be that. But what can we do? Elena needs to feed from the vein." she sighed.

"Well maybe it means we need to be able to siphon the magic from the baby as soon as it gets too powerful, right?" Damon asked as Bonnie nodded in agreement. "How exactly were you planning to put the magic into an object?" he asked.

"There's a spell where I can take it from the baby and move it into an inanimate object." Bonnie frowned.

"So why will it hurt?" Jeremy asked as he walked into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee.

"Because I'm placing it directly into an object without it's permission." Bonnie explained. "If I channel magic from the baby into me, it sees me as an extension of Elena, so it trusts where the magic is going." she said.

"Great." Damon grinned lifting his glass up. "You wanted more magic juice, we have it for you to drink at your own will." he added.

"It doesn't work like that." Bonnie shook her head. "If I get too powerful, I could get out of control."

"Like with the Expression?" Caroline asked, to which Bonnie nodded.

"So that's not an option." Stefan added.

"Can't you put your magic somewhere before you juice up?" Damon asked.

"Like where?" Bonnie frowned.

"Oh I don't know." Damon shrugged. "Put your magic in a box, touch Elena's stomach, connect to the baby and do your witchy stuff, and you're all magical again." he suggested.

"It doesn't work like that." Bonnie started, when suddenly a smile crept up her lips. "But I might be able to find a way around it. I only need a small amount of magic to channel the baby and suck the magic like a siphon into me. If I put a little bit of my magic into a talisman of Elena's, the baby might trust it, as it feels the talisman is part of me and Elena." she said. "I'll retain enough of the magic the baby gives to me so that I don't lose any myself."

"Won't it need something that is linked to Damon too?" Elena asked.

"It's not absolutely necessary, but it would probably be a good idea if it were." Bonnie nodded. "The greater connection to all three of us, the more the baby will trust it." she said.

"We don't have anything." Elena sighed.

"We'll have to go jewelry shopping and I will have to do what you've been saying no to since we started dating." Damon grinned.

"It will need to be a different item every time we drain the baby." Bonnie warned.

"Looks like you're going to have one helluva jewelry collection." Caroline laughed.

"And the Salvatore fortune is going to dwindle very quickly." Stefan frowned.

"Don't worry brother." Damon grinned. "I have my own money. Not a penny came from the Salvatore's." he said smugly.

"Did you steal it?" Jeremy asked.

"No!" Damon replied, clearly taking offense. "I had a job in the seventies where I would obtain fake ID's for vampires." he started.

"So still not legal." Jeremy raised an eyebrow.

"How do you think we manage to move around over the decades?" Damon asked. "We can't keep the same ID. People would get a little suspicious." he explained. "Well to cut a long story short, I invested my earnings wisely, and fortunately, I managed to avoid all subsequent crashes as I had good inside information on a lot of companies and their accountants." he told them. "I also own a few businesses of my own." he smirked. "I could buy every jewelry store in Richmond and it still wouldn't put a dent in my own bank balance. So the Salvatore millions are safe little brother." he assured Stefan with a sarcastic smile.

"Fine." Stefan raised his hands.

"Will it help with your needs?" Jeremy asked Bonnie.

"That's your job Little Gilbert." Damon snickered only to receive a glare from Elena. "Has no one got a sense of humor this morning?" he shrugged.

"I meant magic cravings." Jeremy corrected Damon, however everyone ignored him.

"We just don't have Damon humor." Stefan snapped.

"Why? What the hell happened at the club last night after we left?" Damon frowned.

"Nothing. We got a cab and came back here." Caroline said.

"So what's with the long faces?" Damon asked.

"Maybe we're all a little tired from last night." Stefan suggested.

"Ooh." Damon's eyes lit up as he looked as Elena who simply shrugged. He didn't believe for a minute his brother and Caroline had done anything romantic, but he still held out hope there might be progress in raising a spark of interest. He did notice one thing, the wet bar was not in the living room adjacent to the kitchen the night before. Had Stefan and Blondie been up all night talking? He wondered. "Anything we should know? Like how this got here?" Damon asked pointing to the glass of whiskey in his hand.

"Caroline and I were talking about the Originals." Stefan told him. "We think they all need to be protected from Silas. Elijah has Katherine and Rebekah might also know where Katherine is. I don't trust Silas not to mind control them to find out about Katherine's whereabouts." he said.

"And that werewolf bitch who snapped my neck probably needs it too." Caroline scowled. "If Klaus thinks we're protecting them at all costs, he might be more inclined to help us if we need him in the future."

"The way to get Klaus in his good books is by looking out for his family." Stefan agreed. "No matter how pissed of he is with his siblings, he'd never turn down an offer which would protect them." he said.

"Bonnie, are you okay to do all of this?" Elena asked.

Bonnie sighed. "As long as I have something that belonged to them." she said.

"We'll have to wait until we get back to Mystic Falls, unless Quarterback wants to pay a visit." Damon said. "We need to protect Katherine too." he sighed.

"What do we have?" Jeremy asked.

"The necklace used to belong to Rebekah." Elena suggested.

"I have a hankie which belonged to Elijah." Damon offered.

"And Katherine?" Bonnie asked. Both Damon and Stefan exchanged looks before shaking their heads. "Great." she sighed. "Because we're going to need to find something."

"Do you know something, I've had enough of talking about magic for one day." Damon frowned. "Why don't we go shopping? Ric isn't going to call any time soon. We'll be back before he does. We can get an update later." he said. "Anyone feel like joining us?" he asked.

"No you two go and have fun." Stefan shook his head.

"I think I'll stay here." Caroline told them.

Bonnie and Jeremy looked at one another. "We'll stay here if you don't mind." Bonnie said. "You don't need me for this part."

"Okay, well see you later." Damon said as he left the kitchen.

"We won't be too long." Elena told them as she followed him

"Bye." the rest called out together as Elena closed the door.

Alaric stood looking at the open fields in front of him. He checked the address on the piece of paper Elijah had given him and frowned as it was correct. Before he'd set off, Elijah had warned him it would be difficult to find as the Gemini Coven liked to remain hidden, especially from Silas, and to find the house he would need to break the cloaking spell. When Ric asked how, Elijah had cryptically told him a rock should suffice. Ric scoured around him to see if anything stood out that could be some kind of supernatural doorbell. After about ten minutes of searching and not finding anything which looked remotely supernatural Ric was on the verge of giving up.

"Couldn't Elijah have given a less fucking cryptic clue?" he growled to himself as he picked up a rock and threw it at the open space. To his amazement, a house appeared in front of him. "Okay, this I can work with." he muttered to himself as he approached the white wooden clad building. Once he got to the door he knock, to his amazement a man, who Alaric guessed was in his late fifties, maybe early sixties, answered the door and held out his hand.

"Alaric Saltzman I presume?" the man asked as Ric looked at him in surprise. "I'm Joshua Parker." Joshua opened the door wider. "Please come in." he said with a smile which didn't quite reach his eyes.

"You do know that..." Ric started.

"You're an Original vampire?" Joshua asked raising an eyebrow. "Of course I do. I suspected you would inadvertently become one when you took over the guardianship of Elena Gilbert." he said. "Please come in." he insisted. Ric took as step into the house. Joshua closed the front door and led him into what looked like a welcoming kitchen, where he sat down at the table. "Whiskey?" Joshua asked as Ric nodded in surprise, waiting for the catch, but so far there seemed to be none. Joshua poured two glasses of whiskey and sat down at the table with Ric and raised his glass, which Ric clinked before they both took a sip, before Ric chose to speak.

"How did you know about me?" he asked.

"How do I know about a lot of things?" Joshua replied. "I'm the leader of the Gemini Coven, a group of witches who's current primary purpose is to protect the Prophesy." he said.

"Why?" Ric asked.

"I'm sure you know most of the story of Silas already." Joshua replied, to which Ric nodded. "What you don't know are the parts which come afterwards. The parts the Bennett witches, including Qetsiyah herself know nothing about." he said.

"What do you mean?" Ric asked.

"The Gemini Coven and the Bennett line have different roles in protecting the Prophesy." Joshua told him. "The Bennett witch is to protect the doppelgangers and the soulmate. The Gemini Coven is to ensure Silas is destroyed." he said. "Which is why I happily invited you into my home." he smiled.

"So how did you know I was the one assigned to destroy Silas?" Ric frowned.

"How many Original vampires have risen from the dead?" Joshua asked. "And out of those, who are unable to be killed?"

"Ric thought for a moment. "So have you been spying on Mystic Falls?" he asked.

"We have a member of the Gemini community there, yes." Joshua nodded. "You see, the witch spirits gave the coven's a guide when we received the knowledge of the Prophesy. However, over the years, the Gemini Coven have gained additional information from the witch spirits." he explained.

"How?" Ric frowned.

"In the form of a sacrificial offering." Joshua told him. "We merge the twins, one dies and for our sacrifice, we receive an additional piece to the puzzle. Usually only a few words, but as we have documented everything over the centuries, we realized they were telling us how to know who and where to look. The obvious place was keeping an eye on both tree's until the doppelgangers made and appearance. But that was not all, we knew the tale of the brothers." he said.

"So you guessed it would be Stefan and Damon?" Ric asked as Joshua nodded.

"They fit the description perfectly." he said. "Obviously we knew Katherine wasn't the doppelganger in the Prophesy as she had already had a child. So it was just a matter of time while we waited for the next doppelganger. We even knew where she would be born." he smiled.

"How?" Ric frowned.

"She'd be born in the same place as her counterpart, Stefan." Joshua told him. "Once Stefan reached the age of ten and his mother died of consumption, we knew for certain the Salvatore's were the brothers in the prophesy, so we sent one of our own to to keep an eye out for the birth of the doppelganger. Of course the arrival of Katherine Pierce complicated matters at first, but was eventually made clearer in relation to the Prophesy. Our spy integrated themselves within the Mystic Falls community, although they arrived too late to become a founding family member." he smiled. "His line were there to watch out for the birth of the doppelganger and keep the Bennett witches informed as soon as she arrived."

"Who was the spy?" Ric asked.

"His name was Mark Sommers." Joshua told him.

"As in Jenna Sommers?" Ric asked in shock.

"Indeed, although I believe Miranda's death would have meant Jenna was not fully aware of the Prophesy. But it was of no consequence, the rest of the coven knew of Elena's existence, then after that it was just a case of waiting for the Guardian Destroyer to arrive." Joshua explained. "In the meantime we sent someone else along to keep an eye out. I'm sure you know Dominic, the bartender at the Grill. He loves bugging yours and Damon's stools." he smiled.

"Oh boy." Ric cringed.

"We had to know everything about the Guardian Destroyer." Joshua told him.

"The Guardian Destroyer being me?" Ric asked as Joshua nodded.

"Miranda's early death meant she couldn't keep an eye on you and she hadn't told Jenna what she needed to know before she died." Joshua said. "By the time Miranda found out what she needed to do, there wasn't time to explain it all to Jenna. So we sent another member of the coven to take over." he explained.

"So Elena's mom knew all about Elena and the prophesy from the very beginning?" Ric asked in shock.

"She did. When Isobel left, Miranda begged Grayson for them to keep the baby." Joshua told him.

"To protect her." Ric nodded in understanding. "But Miranda and Grayson were vampire hunters, they'd have killed Stefan and Damon."

Joshua shook his head. "Grayson was a vampire hunter and most definitely would have tried, but Miranda was waiting for Damon and Stefan to reappear. She was prepared to do anything and to stop anyone from killing them." he said sadly. "Including Grayson."

"Are you saying the accident which killed Elena's parents, was caused by Miranda?" Ric frowned as Joshua nodded.

"We told her both brothers had arrived the same night in Mystic Falls. She was on the phone to us in the car as they went to collect Elena. She called us under the premise of arranging for the Gilbert's to go to the lake house to prepare to kill the Salvatore's." Joshua explained. "We did a locator spell and told her the exact locations of Damon and Stefan. Miranda knew Elena was talking to Damon before they arrived to pick her up. They also knew the exact spot where Stefan was, which was why Miranda used her magic to turn the steering wheel and veer the car over the bridge. She knew Stefan would save Elena because he wouldn't be able to resist the draw of the doppelganger blood." he said.

"Miranda, Jenna and Jeremy are witches?" Ric asked, his eyes open wide with shock however Joshua shook his head.

"Only the Sommers heir is a witch. And not a very strong one at that." he said. "Their powers are limited to protecting the Prophesy. Only Miranda ever possessed them because she was the only one who protected Elena before the arrival of the Salvatore's and the Guardian Destroyer."

"So how did you know about me?" Ric asked, wanting to change the subject. He was dreading telling Elena too much about her mother's involvement as she would feel guilty over the deaths of her parents. The less he knew about the screwed up way Miranda protected the Prophesy, the better.

"The Guardian Destroyer is drawn to the Petrova line." Joshua told him. "When you married Isobel, you became our number one suspect. Isobel came to us when she found out about the Prophesy and also suspected you might be the Guardian Destroyer. We discussed how she could help, so she decided to become a vampire. That way she would be able to look after Elena from afar and free you of your marriage to her." he said.

"Wouldn't a divorce have sufficed?" Ric asked sarcastically.

"It was felt having an additional vampire protecting her would be in Elena's best interests." Joshua shrugged.

"Didn't help her after she was compelled by Klaus." Ric raised an eyebrow.

"It was of no consequence." Joshua said. "We knew Elena would either survive or become a vampire. We hoped it would be the latter. But her love for Damon wasn't strong enough for her to leave Stefan at that point, otherwise John Gilbert's spell wouldn't have worked and he'd still be alive and Elena would have become a vampire. I think you should know, you are also drawn to members of the Gemini Coven." he added.

"Like Jenna, who died." Ric snarled.

"Yes." Joshua said sadly.

"How many people have had to die unnecessarily for this prophesy?" Ric asked angrily.

"Hundreds." Joshua shrugged. "Mainly those from the Gemini Coven. But that is not why you are here. You need instructions on how to kill Silas and what further magic is needed to protect the Prophesy. I have some of it here, but I believe Atticus Shane also had access to information which came from one of the members of The Five, and a stolen grimoire. Although it appears he didn't know the significance of what he had in his possession. So this is what I have planned for you..." he started.

Damon and Elena returned back from their shopping trip with bags and bags of jewelry and other things to use as talisman for the magic. Not all of it was for Elena, as they'd decided to get a few things which would belong to the baby and allow Bonnie to use those. Before they'd left, Bonnie had told them jewelry wasn't essential, just something they would know was a keeper of magic. So Damon and Elena's shopping spree had extended to buying cuddly toys, rattles and teething rings. Once back, the talisman were place in the nursery and jewelry in the safe, except for a sapphire ring, which they'd decided to use as a test for the plan to draw the magic from the baby. However, before they had a chance to even start the process, Damon's cell rang and Ric's name appeared on the caller ID.

"Looks like we'll have to put off the magic suction for a while." Damon said. "I think this is likely to be important." he told them as he pressed answer on the phone. "Ric, hows Portland?" he asked.

"Extremely informative." "Ric replied, his voice sounding a little hesitant.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked.

"I can only tell you so much over the phone." Ric explained. "And I might not be able to answer some of your questions right now, not until I've spoken to Elena privately, and in person." he added.

"Whatever you need to say to me can be said out loud in front of everyone." Elena frowned.

"Trust me, this can't. That's all I can say." Ric replied.

"Fine, if you can't tell us, just say you can't tell us what it is and we'll have to take your word for it." Stefan agreed as everyone nodded at his statement.

"Good." Ric said. "So now onto the important stuff. The Gemini Coven have been watching the Petrova line since the Great Divide. They were waiting for the doppelgangers and the brother. When Stefan and Damon turned, they knew they were the brothers in the prophesy. It was a just a matter of time waiting for the Petrova doppelganger, which we all know." he told them. "When she arrived, it was time for them to search for the Guardian Destroyer, aka me. They knew that person would be drawn to the Petrova line, so when I married Isobel, they suspected it to be me. Isobel sought out the coven and between them they decided Isobel needed to become a vampire so she could better protect Elena and at the same time free me to seek out the doppelganger, that was if I was indeed the Guardian Destroyer." he said.

"She took a helluva risk Ric." Damon said sounding shocked. "Wouldn't divorce have been easier?" he asked.

"That's what I said, but Isobel had no magic to help protect Elena and she wanted to be involved in securing the prophesy." Ric explained. "So Isobel formed a plan to get an extra bit of help to see if I was the one." he said.

"Let me guess, she asked John Gilbert to find me so that I could turn her. If you came after me, they'd know you were the future Supervamp, if not, they needed to look elsewhere, like maybe John Gilbert?" Damon suggested.

"The Guardian Destroyer is a willing guardian, not a blood relative." Ric explained. "But yes, you were chosen specifically to turn her for that reason. If killing you couldn't lure me to the Petrova doppelganger, then I wasn't the Supervamp, as you like to call it." he continued. "They've been keeping an eye on us ever since. Turns out the new bartender in the Grill is a member of the Coven. He's heard practically everything and Damon, every time you compelled him, it didn't work." he said.

"Holy crap!" Damon grimaced. "He knows pretty much everything about all of us." he said.

"Yeah well, apparently he bugged our stools when we were at the bar, just in case he was busy with other customers." Ric laughed.

"And where is the little shit now?" Damon asked.

"He's still in Mystic Falls." Ric told him. "That's until the Fall, when he'll be moving to Whitmore College." he said.

"Why is he moving there?" Elena asked.

"Because we all are." Ric told them. "Apparently I applied for the job of Professor of Occult studies while I was dead, to replace Shane. I was offered the job yesterday." he said.

"And what about us?" Caroline asked.

"You're going there to study." Ric told them.

"Why Whitmore?" Damon asked skeptically. "I'm not sure I like the sound of this." he said.

"What's wrong with Whitmore?" Bonnie asked. "You had fun last time you were there." she smirked.

"Let's just say it's not the most vampire friendly place in the world." Damon frowned. "Don't ask any questions, just trust me on this one." he said.

"Well tough." Ric said. "Whitmore has the doctor who is to take care of the Prophesy when it is born. She is a specialist in supernatural pregnancies, the only one in the entire continental US." he explained. "She's a member of the coven and is fully aware of the specifics of Elena's and the baby's needs. There are a couple of other members there too." he added.

"I can't go to college pregnant." Elena said in horror. "What will people say when I've got a huge bump?" she asked.

"About that, apparently Bonnie needs to do a cloaking spell to hide the pregnancy when you're around people who aren't supposed to know you're pregnant." Ric told them.

"Can you do that?" Elena asked Bonnie.

"I've no idea." Bonnie shrugged.

"Don't worry, it's all in Shane's office." Ric explained. "He got hold of one of the Gemini Coven's grimoires, although he didn't know what to do with it." he said. "I can give it to you once I go through what is now my new office there." he said.

"I was so looking forward to you having the bump." Damon pouted as Elena looked at him confused. "It's super sexy!" Damon smirked as Elena looked at him with even more confusion.

"I don't get guys." Caroline shook her head. "It must be some strange testosterone fueled ego trip when their partners are pregnant. As if their girlfriend is an ad for the guy saying 'look I'm fertile'." she said.

"It's not that." Damon shook his head.

"I get what Damon means." Stefan agreed. "It's really hard to explain." he said.

"Can we get off the subject of how men drool over pregnant women?" Bonnie asked, changing the subject. "So Ric you were saying about the cloaking spell."

"The spell doesn't apply when you two lovebirds are alone together." Ric assured them.

"Phew, man I was getting worried there." Damon sighed putting his arm around Elena and drawing her in tight to him.

"Anything else?" Damon asked.

"No, that's it." Ric told them. "Everything else we need is a Whitmore." he said. "Oh yeah, there is one other thing. The Travelers have gone underground. They will be juicing themselves up with magic for the supernatural abortion. That will take them seven full moon massacres to fuel their power through a weakened form of Expression, so basically, we don't have to worry about them for a while." he told them.

"What do you mean don't have to worry about them?" Jeremy asked.

"Neither they, nor Silas can do anything for seven months, and they won't wasted a single bit of magic before then." Ric told them. "Which means, we're in the clear to go back to Mystic Falls."

  
  


 

 


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Caroline composed herself before she got out of the car. She had been back from Richmond only one day before Matt had started to call her. When she'd asked what was wrong, he'd been very cagey, simply telling her it was urgent and that she needed to go to Tyler's place. Obviously she'd driven straight there in the hope of news about Tyler, but as she got out of the car, she wondered why he'd contacted Matt and not her. Determined to find out, she walked up to the open door, but when she tried to get in she couldn't, as if she wasn't invited in.

"Matt?" Caroline called out in confusion.

Matt came to answer the door from down the hall. "Care." he smiled wistfully.

"Matt, why can't I get inside?" Caroline frowned.

Matt glanced down at a piece of paper he was holding in his hands, before looking back up at Caroline. "Come in." he said as Caroline cautiously walked through the door.

"Matt, what's going on?" Caroline asked.

"Tyler sent me this package in the mail." Matt told her as he held the paper towards her. "This is for you." he said as Caroline took it in her hands and began to read the letter.

_Dear Care,_

_I miss you more than I can put into words, but I know as long as Klaus is alive, I can't come home. He won't stop trying to kill me, and you won't stop trying to protect me. Which means the only way to make sure you're safe is for me to go and never come back. I left Matt the deed to the house. It will protect you in ways I can't anymore. I will always love you._

_Tyler_

Caroline flipped the letter over only to find there was nothing written on the back. "He's not coming home." Caroline said sadly as tears began to well up in her eyes and she started to cry. Matt suddenly she felt Matt's arms around her, trying to be of some comfort, but it wasn't enough. They were the wrong arms, because in some respects, hugging Matt felt awkward. Maybe she should go talk to Stefan, because of late she'd been closer to him than anyone else.

Caroline took a deep breath and lifted her head and smiled sadly. "I think...I think I ought to leave." she stammered, trying not to burst into tears once more.

"You okay Care?" Matt frowned.

"No." Caroline swallowed. "But I will be." she said. "Thank you Matt." she added. With that, she turned around and headed back to her car and in search of Stefan.

It had been forty eight hours since Ric had told them they could all return to Mystic Falls. Damon and Elena had been back a day before Ric could finally join them at the Salvatore boarding house. He'd initially only wanted to discuss the private matter with Elena, but he'd eventually allowed Damon to listen in, however Jeremy was not allowed to be party to any part of the conversation. Telling Elena her adoptive mother killed herself and her adoptive father just so Elena could have a special baby was not something Ric was looking forward to explaining, and the presence of Damon could either make matters better or worse. What Ric had insisted upon was Bonnie draining some of the baby's magic before he talked to them, just so Elena didn't blow the house up with anger.

Damon had stayed the previous night at the Gilbert's while they'd waited upon Ric returning from Portland via Whitmore College. However they realized Ric could only get into the Gilbert with an invite from Jeremy, meaning they had to swap locations as Ric didn't want Jeremy knowing whatever he was about to tell them. They'd only been away from Mystic Falls for a couple of weeks, yet it seemed like a lifetime considering how much had happened. Yet, out of everything that had happened, Elena feltthe most nervous about this conversation with Ric. She had a gut feeling he was going to tell her something she didn't want to hear, which had gotten her all fidgety and was why she was pacing the room. Fortunately it turned out the theory of draining the baby's magic loosened their connection as Damon was able to touch her and soothe her. That was until the knock came at the door and Ric walked in with his luggage.

"Come in." Damon grinned holding up a glass of whiskey for Ric who took it, who emptied the glass in one gulp. "Blood bag?" he asked as Ric nodded.

"I think we ought to discuss this somewhere a little more private." Ric told Elena while Damon went to the basement to collect a blood bag. "But first I'll go unpack. You and Damon meet me in the library in a few minutes." he said, and with that he vamp-sped upstairs, leaving Elena alone in the parlor waiting for Damon to retrieve some blood bags.

"Where is he?" Damon asked when he returned with a hand full of blood bags.

"He's gone upstairs to unpack." Elena told him. "He said to meet him in the library." she added standing up and making her way through the doors to the slightly more secluded area of the library.

Damon lit a fire and they waited for their friend to come and deliver whatever horrifying news he was about to tell them, something so bad he didn't even want Damon to hear. Just as the fire got going Ric came into the room and sat down in the chair while Damon sat next to Elena on the couch. Damon had poured them all a generous glass of blood and another glass of whiskey for himself and Ric, just to give him something to do.

"Come on Ric, we're not getting old here." Damon sighed as Ric fidgeted around uncomfortably trying to find the right words.

"Look Damon, I'm fine you being here for Elena, but I need you to butt out and for once in your life try not to be a dick." Ric snapped. "This is unpleasant stuff and I wish I didn't have to tell Elena, but she ought to know. But don't worry, I need to talk to you and Stefan too, I've got some information you might find...interesting." he shrugged. "Text him to be here when we've done." he told Damon. "Then you'll be able to talk as much as you want, just don't punch me with what I'm about to tell you. In both cases I am only the messenger."

"Fine." Damon rolled his eyes. "I'll be quiet." he said as he took Elena's hand in his and leaned back on the couch, waiting for Ric to drop whatever bombshell it was which he clearly didn't want to to tell Elena.

Ric took a deep breath. "So Elena, I really wish I wasn't the one to tell you this, but it looks like it's fallen onto my shoulders." he said sadly. "It's about your mom." he told her.

"Isobel?" Elena asked, remembering Ric telling them Isobel had been in touch with the coven, who had suggested Damon to be the one to turn her.

"Not Isobel." Ric said softly. "Miranda." he said.

"Mom." Elena frowned. "What does she have to do with all of this? She's dead." she shook her head.

"In 1858, the Gemini Coven found out about Stefan and Damon, and that their mother had died." Ric told them. "They fit the prophesy to perfection, even more so when it was discovered there was a vampire in the area." he continued.

"But Katherine didn't arrive until 1864." Damon frowned.

"I'll talk to you about that later, when Stefan arrives." Ric told him. "The Gemini Coven suspected Damon and Stefan would turn, and once they did, they just needed to wait for the right doppelganger, not Katherine." he looked at Damon pointedly. "For that they needed someone to wait for the next Petrova doppelganger to be born. That person needed to be in Mystic Falls as they knew that would be her birthplace." he told her.

"How did they know where I'd be born?" Elena asked.

"Because that is where Stefan was born." Ric explained. "According to the prophesy, he doppelganger's are born in the same place. So they sent one of their less powerful witches to keep an eye out for you. His name was Mark Sommers." he said, waiting for the penny to drop.

"Sommers as in my mom and aunt Jenna?" Elena frowned as Ric nodded. "Did she know about any of this?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

"That was one of the reasons she was so desperate to keep you." Ric explained. "She knew who you were and keeping you close meant she only had to wait until Stefan and Damon to turn up. However she had a slight problem, your dad."

"Why was my dad a problem?" Elena frowned.

"Your dad being a vampire hunter was originally the perfect husband material for your mom." Ric told her. "That way she'd have information on Stefan and Damon. When they arrived in the mid-nineties, Miranda was able to keep a track of them. She never told your dad they were vampires." he said. "Your mom tried to turn your father's opinion around, to be more tolerant of the possibility that some vampires might not be all bad, but Mikael ruined that when he tried to kill you as a baby. That combined with the massacre here at the boarding house..." he started.

"What massacre?" Elena asked.

"The one which prompted the town to re-start the Founders Council." Damon grimaced.

"Wait you know about this?" Elena asked Damon.

"Um... I was the cause of it." Damon replied sheepishly. "My humanity had been off for a long time, so I came home to ask Stefan to help me switch it back on, Stefan refused to help and I went on a killing spree." he quickly added.

"Why was your humanity off?" Elena asked.

"I'll tell you one day." Damon said evasively. "Let's just concentrate on what Ric has to say." he added as Elena turned her attention back to Ric.

"So no matter what your mom did, your dad wouldn't change his attitude towards vampires." Ric said. "When he found out you were the doppelganger, and what that meant, he became intensely protective over you. Although he only knew about the Sun and Moon curse, not the Silas one." he told her.

"So why didn't mom tell him?" Elena asked.

"She wasn't allowed to." Ric explained. "Only the Sommers heir was allowed to know about the prophesy after they turned eighteen. Your mom only told Jenna minor stuff, but she couldn't tell her about you. As you can imagine when Stefan and Damon arrived, this was a problem. You needed to fall in love with Damon, and your father would never let you even close to either of the Salvatore's." he told her, before going silent and lowering his eyes.

"And?" Elena asked.

"You have to understand Elena, your mom's priorities were the prophesy, you and Jeremy." Ric explained. "She knew once Stefan and Damon arrived you'd be safe, and so would Jeremy. She thought Jeremy would get the Gilbert ring and that Stefan and Damon would do everything to protect you until the time came for you to turn." he said.

"Spill it Ric." Damon said gravely. "What are you not telling us?"

Ric closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The night your parents died, your mom got a call while she was in the car from the Gemini Coven to tell her Stefan and Damon were in Mystic Falls and that you had met Damon." he said quietly. "She knew exactly where Stefan was as they'd done a locator spell. She was also aware Stefan would be drawn to you because of your doppelganger blood. So no matter what happened, you'd survive. She just had to take your dad out of the equation." Ric stopped. "I'm sorry Elena." he frowned sadly.

"Are you saying my mom had something to do with the accident?" Elena asked, her eyes wide open as tears threatened to fall.

"Your mom had a little bit of magic as she was the Sommers heir." Ric started.

"So is Little Gilbert a witch?" Damon interrupted.

"He's not a Sommers heir as Elena had already met the both of you. The magic ended with Miranda, although there wasn't much there in the first place." Ric explained. "She used her powers to steer the car off the bridge." he said sadly.

"But what about the Gilbert ring?" Elena asked. "Why didn't that save him?

"John had it at the time as he was officially hunting vampires, but more likely working with Isobel." Ric said. "I had John's ring and your dad gave him his. So he wasn't wearing it the night of the accident." he sighed. "I'm sorry Elena. Your mom knew you, Stefan and Damon were the ones from the prophesy. It meant Silas and the Travelers needed to be destroyed, or all of our lives were at risk, including Jeremy's. She made the sacrifice for the _both_ of you." he said, stressing the word both to try and appease some of Elena's justifiably anticipated guilt, which came with tears, as Damon wrapped his arms around Elena's shoulders as she began to cry into the crook of his neck.

"Damn it Ric." Couldn't you have kept this to yourself?" he asked. "Did Elena need to know this?"

"A coven member will always put the destruction of Silas first." Ric told him. "That is how dedicated they are. You need to trust them in everything, no matter if it goes against every bone in your body. They know more about the prophesy than anyone else, including the Bennett witches and Qetsiyah herself. If we do what they say, Silas and the Travelers will be destroyed, and we can all live happily ever after." he said.

"How can I when I know mom and dad died so that I could fall in love?" Elena sobbed.

"Look Elena, your dad wouldn't change his views, no matter what." Ric told her. "Your mom couldn't tell him why he needed to be more tolerant of vampires, even to the extent of letting you become one to fulfill the prophesy. It wasn't about you falling in love, it was about destroying Silas. That is why they died, you were just caught up in the middle of it all." he tried to assure her. "Maybe if your dad had been able to tone down his hatred, things might have been different. Your mom thought she could change him, but then she found out some things about him. Some of his work and she knew it was a pointless endeavor." he told her.

"What work?" Elena frowned.

"He performed medical research on vampires." Ric told her.

"What?" Elena asked, stunned by the revelation.

"You are fucking kidding me!" Damon snapped.

"I think Miranda knew that would be your response." Ric chuckled. "There's something else, she left you both a letter each." he said handing them both an envelope. "It was always intended for you to only open when the time was right. That's why you needed to know." he frowned turning to Damon. "I was going to give you yours later when I talk with you and Stefan. But maybe now is more appropriate." he said.

Damon and Elena took the envelopes, but didn't open them. This was something they need to do in private, when they didn't have to face anyone else apart from each other.

"Is it okay if Elena sits in on the talk?" Damon asked. "I don't need her to hold my hand or anything, but if it's as emotional as this, well, I need her to understand without me having to repeat what you say." he said. "That's if you want to stay." Damon looked at Elena hopefully.

"Of course I do." Elena smiled at him lovingly.

"As long as Stefan is okay with it, it's up to you." Ric agreed.

"He will be." Damon smiled. "Am I okay to tell him we're ready for him?" he asked looking at Ric and Elena.

"I'm ready." Ric nodded.

"I'll be fine by the time he gets here." Elena sighed. "Where is he?" she asked.

"Blondie had an emergency. So I'm guessing Stefan is painting her toenails as we speak." Damon told them as he text Stefan to tell him they were ready for him.

"They're getting a little close aren't they?" Ric raised an eyebrow.

"Not close enough." Damon grinned. "Let's just say I'd sleep a lot easier at night if he and Blondie got a lot closer. If you get my meaning." he smirked as his phone beeped, signaling an incoming text, which Damon quickly read. "And he will be here in ten minutes." he added.

Caroline was sat in her living room when she heard the knock on the door from Stefan. She answered it and they headed straight to her bedroom to allow them some privacy, should Liz return. Not that Caroline wasn't going to confide in her mom, but she needed Stefan first.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked, his voice full of concern as he noticed Caroline's red rimmed eyes from crying.

Unable to answer, she simply held out the letter Tyler had sent and let Stefan read it for himself. When he finished, he folded the letter and gave it back to her.

"What do you think?" Caroline hiccuped.

"I can sort of understand Tyler right now." Stefan frowned. "But Katherine aside, Klaus doesn't hold grudges forever. Lots of people have plotted to kill him over the centuries, he's frequently forgiven them." he assured her. "Klaus won't chase him forever. He's just trying to scare him."

"Tyler unsired his hybrids so Klaus could slaughter them." Caroline explained.

"Didn't Hayley play a significant role in that?" Stefan asked. "If I'm right, she was the one who got Tyler involved after he'd unsired himself." he said. "Klaus has forgiven her. It's just a matter of time before he cools down about Tyler." Stefan assured her.

"But how can I tell him?" Caroline asked.

"I honestly don't know." Stefan sighed as he put a soothing hand on Caroline's back. "But whenever you need to talk, I'll be here your you." he smiled as tears ran down Caroline's face.

"Do I wait, or move on?" she asked.

"Only you know the answer to that Caroline." Stefan replied. "Right now, my advice is mourn the split and see what happens. Things can change very quickly round here. For all we know he might be back by graduation." he smiled hopefully.

"I doubt it." Caroline sighed.

"Look, he's trying to do the right thing by you." Stefan assured her. "I think he's not asking you to stop loving him. He's asking you to live your life. If that means letting someone else in, I don't think he'll hate you for it. He'll probably feel glad he doesn't have to worry about your safety any more." he added as his phoned beeped, letting him know he had a text.

"Thank you." Caroline smiled as she placed her hand on top of Stefan's. "You're the best friend I have right now." she said. "Are you going to get that?" she asked as Stefan read his text from Damon and frowned.

"Ric wants to talk to Damon and I about something he found out in Portland." he frowned.

"Some of the stuff he wouldn't tell us over the phone?" Caroline asked as Stefan nodded.

"I think so." he said.

"Then you need to go." Caroline smiled. "I'll be okay. It's obviously something important. And if you need me, I'll be here for you."

"Thanks Caroline." Stefan smiled back as he text Damon to tell him he'd be home in ten minutes. "I'll be back as soon as we're done." he said.

"Take your time. And say hi to Ric for me." she said as Stefan headed for the door.

"I will." Stefan replied. And with that he left.

Stefan arrived back at the boarding house exactly ten minutes later as promised. He walked into the library as he knew that was where Damon, Elena and Ric were. Although he had no idea what the conversation was about, he wasn't expecting this to be good news, not if Ric didn't want to tell them in front of others. In fact, he wasn't entirely comfortable with Elena herself being there, but as she would become his sister-in-law soon enough, she was practically a Salvatore, and he knew she might be a calming influence on Damon should the news be really terrible, which was why he'd reluctantly agreed to Damon's request.

He looked around the room to see Ric sat in the chair nearest to the door, while Damon had his arms wrapped tightly around a very upset looking Elena, who had the a blanket around her shoulders. It almost reminded of him of the one time, back when he was a ripper, when he'd walked in on Damon comforting Elena after he'd attacked her at school while Klaus had been trying to find a way to turn his hybrids. For some reason Elena had always had this way of bringing out a soft side in Damon, which nobody else could.

Stefan poured himself a glass of whiskey and sat in the chair opposite Ric and looked around.

"So?" Stefan asked.

"I need you both to prepared to be shocked by what I'm about to tell you." Ric said, with a hint of trepidation in his voice.

"Ric, I think after what you just told Elena, you've hit your annual quota for shocking revelations. Nothing could possibly surprise me now." Damon told him.

"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about that." Ric sighed.

"Just spit it out." Damon said, his voice tightening with nervous anticipation. He didn't like the sound of this. Whatever it was, it was clearly something he didn't want to tell Damon and Stefan, but as their friend he felt it was his duty to be the one to break the bad news.

"Fine." Ric sighed. "This goes back to 1858, when the Gemini coven someone to keep an eye out for the doppelganger." he said.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned something about there being another vampire around." Damon frowned, remembering Ric telling him and Elena there was another vampire in the area who they thought might be the one who would eventually turn them.

"What's this all about?" Stefan asked.

"Short version, the Gemini coven knew we were the brothers in the prophesy after mom died because there wouldn't be anymore kids." Damon explained. "The coven sent a witch to wait for Elena and discovered a vampire." he said as Ric nodded.

"Who was the vampire?" Elena asked, her voice quiet, but curious.

Ric looked around the room, knowing he was about to shake the world of the Salvatore brothers.

"Her name was Lily Salvatore." he said.

The room went silent. Nobody even breathed, the only sound came from the crackling of the fire. Stefan dug his fingers into the arms of the chair he was sat in, while Damon looked at Ric stony faced, Elena drawing soothing circles on his hands to prevent him from throwing something. Stefan was the first to break the silence.

"Impossible." he said softly. "She would have come back..." his voice trailed off as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm not buying it." Damon growled. "How can she be a vampire." he said through gritted teeth.

"Your mother died from consumption, but she had vampire blood in her system." Ric explained.

"Wouldn't vampire blood have cured her?" Elena frowned.

"Vampire blood doesn't cure illnesses, it heals injuries." Damon explained.

"It's true." Stefan whispered. "I saw her after she died, but I thought it was a dream and she was an angel." he said.

"I remember that brother." Damon frowned. "She never came to see me." he looked downcast as Elena wrapped her arms around him and placed his hand on her stomach, which seemed to soothe him.

"Maybe you were asleep." Stefan suggested.

"Or maybe your mother realized it was a mistake going to see you." Ric told them.

"Why would it be a mistake?" Stefan asked.

"Let's just say, you and your mother share a similar affliction when it comes to craving blood." Ric explained. "You're lucky she didn't kill you."

"She's a ripper?" Stefan asked as he and Damon exchanged looks of horror.

Ric nodded. "Not only that, but she ended up getting herself mixed up with the wrong crowd." he told them. "They went on murder spree's around Europe. When they came back to America, let's just say there was nobody left on the ship alive."

"And how do the Gemini Coven know all of this?" Stefan asked.

"They didn't want Lily anywhere near you two. She was a liability and could cause problems with the prophesy." Ric explained. "So they took her and her 'people' out of the equation." he said.

"They killed them?" Elena asked.

Ric shook his head. "Remember the time portal?" he asked Stefan who nodded.

"The time travel safety deposit box?" Damon raised an eyebrow as Stefan and Ric both nodded. "They put them in there?" he asked, his face full of horror.

"The Gemini Coven call it a Prison World." Ric explained. "It was their cover story should anyone discover the existence of it. It's true purpose is to hide a version of all of the required elements to destroy Silas." he explained.

"And they put mom in there?" Stefan asked, sounding disgusted. "Like they did with that siphon kid of theirs?"

"His name was Malachai Parker. He murdered four of his younger siblings, attempted to murder two of his other siblings and maimed his twin sister." Ric explained.

"Well he sounds...nice." Damon grimaced. "I guess that's as good a reason as any to imprison him in a supernatural holding cell." he shrugged.

"They had no choice." Ric told him. "He was a siphon. A witch born without his own magic." he said.

"Yeah Bonnie told us about the whole abomination of nature stuff." Damon said nonchalantly. "What does this have to do with our mother?" he asked.

"She fell into a crowd of siphoners." Ric explained. "She turned them."

"Great, so they couldn't suck powers from people." Damon smiled. "A win win, if you ask me. Good on mom." he grinned.

"On the contrary Damon." Ric shook his head. "When a witch becomes a vampire they lose their magic. A siphon never had any to lose. They retain the ability to siphon magic, and when they become a vampire, they have a permanent source in vampirism itself." he told them. "These people tend to be unstable as they are usually cast out by their covens. If they thought they could gain a little bit of extra magic by helping Silas and the Travelers, they would. From the information the Gemini Coven had, this was exactly where they were heading."

"They were going to the join the Travelers?" Stefan frowned as Ric nodded.

"The Gemini Coven had no choice but to stop them." Ric said.

"Have they got you brainwashed Ric?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

Ric shook his head. "Joshua showed me a lot of the stuff." he told him. "But certain items were missing. They gave Sheila Bennett a grimoire to see if a Bennett witch would be able to perform a variation of some of the required spells for the pregnancy. But Sheila died, and when Shane too over the job, he told them the grimoire wasn't there. So they assumed it had been stolen. That's one of the reasons why I'm taking up the role of Professor of Occult Studies. I can go through his office and see what he's got. Especially as he was closely linked to Silas." he explained.

"So why do I have to go there?" Elena asked.

"Because I have to be close to you." Ric explained.

"Um Ric...You and I, we're not moving in together you know." Damon said jokingly.

"Ass!" Ric laughed.

"Well I don't mind starting college." Stefan shrugged. "I'll help protect you." he told Elena.

"And who's going to look after Jeremy?" Elena asked.

"What about Matt?" Stefan suggested. "Tyler Lockwood just left him the deed to his house. No vampires can get in apart from Caroline. It's the safest place for him."

"Good call brother." Damon smiled. "I'd do it myself, but I've got other responsibilities brewing." he sighed.

"About that, you said something about a cloaking spell for my pregnancy." Elena turned to Ric. "Did you find it?" she asked.

Ric smiled. "That's why I went straight to Whitmore before coming back to Mystic Falls." he told her. "I figured you'd want to have access to it as soon as possible. You don't want your graduation gown to get a little tight do you?" he grinned.

"Thank you Ric." Elena jumped up and hugged Ric. "It means a lot." she said as Damon's face fell.

"You just need a couple of pieces of jewelry for Bonnie to spell." Ric explained. "Day wear, evening wear." he said.

"I'll get it." Damon said wearily as he got up and headed upstairs.

"Damon!" Elena called out after him. She'd noticed the look of disappointment on his face when she'd thanked Ric for the cloaking spell, and realized he must have thought she was embarrassed about her being pregnant. A fact which couldn't be further from the truth. She did however have two concerns. The first being the obvious one which was making sure the Travelers didn't know how far along she was. The other was the fact she was only eighteen. Her peers at college would look down on her if they knew she were pregnant, and Elena wanted as normal a college experience as she could, all things considering. However, this part she hadn't talked over with Damon, and now it looked like she was going to have to have the conversation with him, so she followed him to their room.

"What's the matter Elena, don't you think I'll pick the right pieces?" Damon asked, not turning to look at her as he went through the box in his closet.

"Damon, look at me!" Elena demanded.

"I'm busy." Damon replied.

"For fuck's sake, Damon turn around!" Elena cried, deciding swearing was the only way she could grab his attention, which worked. When he turned around, his eyes were red. He was clearly trying to hold back the tears of hurt. Elena's heart sank, knowing she was the cause. She cupped his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "You know, in a perfect world, I'd be desperate to show my baby bump off to the entire world." she smiled sadly. "But there are people chasing us, and they can't even be allowed to guess how far along I am." she assured him.

"Is that the only reason?" Damon asked suspiciously. But Elena couldn't lie to Damon, honesty was one of the foundations of their relationship.

"No." Elena admitted. "When I start college, I need to blend in." she explained. "That's not going to happen if everyone thinks I'm pregnant." she said.

"I know." Damon frowned. "I just..." he sighed.

"You're feeling great about becoming a daddy, yet you're not being allowed to have the full experience?" she suggested as Damon nodded sadly.

"Unless the prophesy allows us to have more kids, this is my one chance at being able to experience pregnancy, and I'm not going to get that." Elena lowered her eyes before resting her forehead against Damon's. "But this isn't about us, it's about this little one in here." she said, pressing their hands on her stomach. "Anyway, I'll take the necklace off at home and I will look like a whale when our family and friends are around." she agreed.

"Does that mean you'll live with me instead of on campus?" Damon asked hopefully.

"Do I have a choice?" Elena smirked.

"Yes!" Damon exclaimed as he did a fist pump before kissing her chastely on the lips. "Will these do?" he asked as he pulled out a gold necklace with a heart shaped locket, and a pair of diamond earrings.

"They're perfect." Elena smiled.

"Good, lets get them spelled." Damon took Elena's hand in his and lead them back to the library.

  


 

 


	47. Chapter 47

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Damon and Elena returned to Damon's room once the magic had been done and Bonnie had agreed to secretly help Stefan and Caroline get together. It was late and Damon and Elena wanted plenty of rest, tomorrow was Friday and they'd decided to go to a club in the evening, to find out how they could stop Bonnie experiencing the feed with them. But before they went to bed, there was something they needed to do.

They'd put off reading the letters until they were alone and not expected to make an appearance. Miranda knew enough about the prophesy to have written one to Damon as well, meaning she was either going to give him the mother-in-law spiel from the grave, or some sage advice. Whatever it was, they decided to open his letter first, as they expected it to be less personal, therefore less emotional on Elena's part.

Once they were showered and ready, they climbed under the sheets and sat up to read the letters. Damon put his arm around Elena and brought her into him so she could see her mother's handwriting while he read the words out. As he gently opened the letter, he realized he'd never been so nervous about opening a letter before. Once opened, he unfolded the piece of paper inside, and began to read.

_Dear Damon_

_If you are reading this letter, it means I was unsuccessful in my attempts to persuade Grayson to be more tolerant of vampires. Although, it shouldn't come as a surprise considering his history, and you of all people should understand why my task was almost impossible. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him, even if it is only for Elena's benefit. If you love her as much as I know you will, I'm sure the task shouldn't be too much for me to ask of you._

"What is she talking about?" Elena interrupted.

"I'll tell you after we've read the letter." Damon sighed, knowing this conversation wasn't something he could put off much longer. There were too many ties in their life leading back to the Augustine's, and Elena needed to be prepared for what might potentially be coming their way. For the moment however, he was content to continue reading.

_Although this needs no saying, but as Elena's mother, you can appreciate it is my job to say it, please take care of Elena and my grandchild. I know this was something you never expected, and going through your history, I doubt becoming a father was something you ever really wanted. Vampirism and fatherhood don't usually go hand in hand. This letter to you is my gift of the advice your own mother was never able to give you._

_I beg that you do not maim or kill any of her future boyfriend's for breaking her heart, dating her or kissing her. She must be allowed a normal childhood, be a normal teenager and learn from normal mistakes. Do not use vampire blood to heal her, it won't work. I strongly recommend you do not tell her you are vampires until she is old enough to understand. And even then it might be an idea to be creative with the truth of your past._

_I know you will be the best father and best husband. I just wish I was there to help you in person. Instead, I have kept copies of Grayson's journals. You may not appreciate his treatment of vampires, but he was a good father, and somewhere in them, there may be some sage words of advice. They are in the loft if you feel the need for help, as I believe your own father was not much of a role model in that area._

_Sheila will be able to guide you through any issues you have with her powers as she grows older and stronger._

_I'm sad we never had the opportunity to get to know one another, but I trust you will take good care of my daughter and granddaughter._

_Miranda_

Damon and Elena sat in silence for a moment before Damon spoke.

"What were Ric and my mom talking about regarding dad's research?" she asked.

Damon took a deep breath. He'd been waiting for this question ever since Ric had mentioned it. As he couldn't lie to Elena, he decided to give her the truth from the beginning.

"Way back in 1942, I was in New Orleans, where Stefan and Lexi caught up with me." he told her. "Stefan was off to join the war effort, and I decided it would be a great idea to join him." he said. "I enlisted, but as I arrived at the station to meet him, Lexi stopped me."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Stefan was recovering from his ripper binge in the twenties." Damon explained. "She thought I would be a bad influence. Me not feeling guilt and all." he shrugged. "So I didn't go." he said sadly. "I put Stefan's needs above my own, although I doubt that's how he saw it at the time."

"Does Stefan know you did it for him?" Elena asked as Damon nodded.

"He does now, although that is a fairly recent development." he grimaced.

"And Lexi never told him?" Elena frowned.

"Lexi's method of making Stefan feel like the good guy, was by making me out to be the bad brother." Damon lowered his eyes. "Eventually I lived up to her expectations." he spat.

"So what happened next?" Elena asked.

"Stefan and I lost touch, until 1953, when I heard he was back in Mystic Falls." Damon told her. "I went to visit, but he was out. Instead, someone in my family sold me out to the Augustines in 1953. Every day, this nut job Dr. Whitmore tortured us, cut into us, took pieces of our eyes out, pushed us to every limit he could imagine, and he had quite the imagination."

"How long were you there?" Elena said slowly.

"Five years, give or take." Damon replied sadly.

"Damon, how did you not go crazy?" Elena asked, completely shocked by this revelation.

"Believe it or not, I made a friend." Damon smiled. "His name was Enzo. "He was a soldier in Europe during World War II." he explained.

"How did he end up there?" she asked.

"Dr. Whitmore was working in a battlefield hospital when he discovered Enzo was a vampire, so he drugged him, locked him in a coffin to ship him overseas." Damon told her. "He'd been here for ten years by the time I joined the party. They would torture us, cutting out our eyes, creative surgery on our livers, kidneys... I'm sure you get the picture."

Elena frowned. "I know that my dad was a vampire hunter, but he was also the town doctor. He was kind and gentle and loving. He wouldn't be part of a place that would cut someone's eyes out." she said sadly.

"People are full of surprises Elena." Damon said sadly as Elena buried her face in her hands shaking. "Oh, hey." Damon took her hand. "Hey. Look at me. Hey." he said softly as Elena looked up at him. "I forgive him okay?" he said as she nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

"Damon, how did you survive all those years?" she asked.

"Enzo's friendship kept me alive, he gave me a reason to hang on to my humanity..." Damon swallowed.

"But you were here for 5 years." Elena frowned. "Didn't Stefan try and rescue you?" she asked.

"In the first year, I'd thought he might try and rescue me. He didn't." Damon shrugged. "Once I escaped, there was no point in giving him more to feel guilty about, so I never told him what happened. I never told anyone. I don't even know how the Gemini Coven knew all about this." he said.

"Maybe my mom found out when she found out about dad's research." Elena suggested.

"Could be." Damon agreed.

"Well at least you managed to escape." Elena smiled. "How did you do it?" she asked.

"They let us out of the basement once a year." he explained. "Every New Year's Eve, the Augustine people had a little cocktail party with a vampire buffet on the side. We were weak from vervain injections...half-starved from living on a glass of blood a day, chained up like animals. This little annual shindig is where Dr. Whitmore got to show all of his Augustine friends what he'd found in his research." Damon told her. "He let his guests drink from us to demonstrate the healing power of vampire blood. But on the plus side, that's how Enzo came up with his plan. You see, our daily ration of blood was barely enough for one vampire to survive on, but if one of us were to drink two rations every day for the next year, he'd be able to build up his strength so that by the time New Year's Eve came around again that one vampire would be ready to fight." he said. "We tossed for it, metaphorically speaking and I won."

"So, did it work?" Elena frowned.

"More or less." Damon said quietly.

"How did you get out?" Elena asked.

"It doesn't matter, Elena." Damon sighed. "I got strong, I got out. It wasn't pretty. That's all you need to know." he said. "Now why don't we read your letter." he suggested.

"Not yet." Elena shook her head. "You were tortured Damon. My mom is asking too much of you to forgive my father." she said, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm not sure if I can either."

"Hush..." Damon put a finger to Elena's lips. "Your father never tortured me. So there's nothing for me to forgive. Plus I refuse to believe anyone can be that unlucky to have two fathers as bad as John Gilbert." he smiled.

"What happened to your friend...Enzo?" Elena asked. "Did he get out?"

"There was a fire, and we got...separated, so to speak." Damon told her uncomfortably. "I couldn't get him out. So I decided there was no point in both of us dying, so I did the only thing I knew I could to save myself." he said.

"What was that?" Elena took his hand in hers.

"I flipped the switch." Damon told her. "Tried to turn it back on in the nineties, but it didn't work. It was still off the night I met you." he said quietly.

"And yet you didn't kill me." Elena said slowly. "Why?" she asked.

"The moment you asked me what I wanted, I realized it was possible for someone out there one day to care about me." Damon tucked a piece of hair behind Elena's ear. "It was you who gave me back my humanity." he told her as he bent down and kissed her. "You gave me the greatest gift ever. You gave me love." he rested his forehead against hers. "Now before I start getting too mushy or decide to kiss every square inch of your delectable, non-cloaked body, you need to start reading that letter from your mom." he told her.

Elena sighed and sat up. "Okay." she agreed, opening the envelope and taking out the letter.

Stefan was waiting for Caroline in the parlor after everyone had gone to bed. The news of his mother had shook him to the pussy. Even more so when he found out she was also a ripper. He was beginning to wonder if it was something in his genes that made him be that way once he turned. Stefan wanted to talk to Damon about this, but his brother had other problems, the main being something to do with some letters Elena's mom had written to the both of them.

Fortunately for him, his hearing wasn't as good as Damon's due to his diet. However the up side was he didn't get disturbed by hearing people making a lot of noise. Also when a vampire was focused on something, like Damon and Elena were at that moment, he knew any conversation he and Caroline would have wouldn't be overheard.

Suddenly Caroline appeared, walking through the front doors, looking fresh and far happier than she had the last time he'd seen her. She sat down on one of the couches in front of the fire, which was lit and crossed her legs and held her hand out.

"Drink." she demanded. "If I'm offering tea and sympathy on a shitty day like today, I'm going to need alcohol to fuel my advice." she smiled as Stefan got up and poured them both a glass of whiskey before handing one to Caroline and sitting down on the couch opposite her.

"Thanks for coming over." Stefan smiled. "I would have talked this over with Damon, but... he's busy looking after Elena right now." he told her.

"So instead you asked me." Caroline surmised with a raised eyebrow as Stefan simply nodded. "So, what did Ric say that was so bad you needed someone to talk to at this hour?" she asked.

"My mother is alive." Stefan said as Caroline's eyes widened with shock. "She's a vampire."

"Seriously?" Caroline said. "She's been a vampire all of this time and never once visited you?" she asked.

"I think she did, once." Stefan admitted. "Just after she died I thought I saw her. We put it down to a dream at the time. I thought she was an angel." he smiled wistfully before sighing. "More like angel of death." he spat.

"Was that a wise idea, visiting her kids just after turning?" Caroline asked. "That could have ended badly." she frowned. "I take it she must have had some serious self control."

"Actually she didn't." Stefan shook his head. "She's a ripper, like me." he told her.

"Oh." Caroline replied, not knowing what else to say, fortunately Stefan saved her the trouble.

"She fell in with the wrong crowd and ended up in one of the Gemini Coven's time portals, they call them prison cells." he told her.

"Was she really that bad?" Caroline asked him. Stefan nodded. "I'm guessing the ripper gene must run in the family." she suggested.

"That's what I thought." Stefan told her. "If only she knew she could survive on the bunny diet, maybe the Gemini coven would set her free. As long as I promise to keep an eye on her." he said excitedly.

"And if they don't agree to it?" Caroline said slowly.

"Well, we'll have to find another way." Stefan smiled. "Look I don't want to get Damon involved in all of this. Maybe wait until all of this Silas business is over. But there has to be a way to get her out." he said hopefully.

"Do you really want to see your mom?" Caroline asked. "She did kinda abandon you."

"She abandoned us to protect us." Stefan told her. "She could have killed us had she have stayed close by. I refuse to believe she just left because she no longer cared." he shook his head.

"So what do you want to do?" Caroline asked.

"We need to get in with the coven." Stefan told her. "We need to find out who they are when we start at Whitmore. Then look for whatever it is that can get her out of there."

"You really think you can save her from being a ripper?" Caroline asked.

Stefan thought for a moment. "Yeah, I think I can." he said.

"Then I'll do whatever you need me to do to help." she smiled.

Elena slowly opened the piece of paper and saw her mother's handwriting. It took her all of her strength to not cry immediately, however, she swallowed hard and began to read out loud.

_Dear Elena_

_If you are reading this, it means I couldn't talk your dad around regarding his prejudice of vampires. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him for his beliefs. It was the way he was raised as a Founder. I hoped I could change him, but the hatred ran too deep._

_I'm sorry I'm not there to support you now, when you need me the most. Trust me, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than sat talking this over with you, seeing the world through your eyes, so to speak._

_I guess you already know about John and Isobel being your real parents. We we're going to wait until you turned sixteen, but then John told us Isobel had become a vampire, and we knew you eventually might try to find her, so we decided to wait a little longer, at least until you were eighteen._

_The reason I am writing this letter to you is to let you know about my journals. They are currently with the Gemini Coven, once you have read this, the Guardian Destroyer can have them sent to you. We believe this person is likely to be Alaric Saltzman as he was drawn to the Petrova line. In those journals is my advice on how to cope with parenthood and pregnancy. Even if I can't be there in person, I will still be able to give you advice._

_I briefly met Damon once at the boarding house. There was a solar eclipse and people were viewing it from there. At the time, other than me, nobody realized Damon and Stefan were vampires. I went along out of curiosity, to see the man who would one day become my son-in-law and the father of my granddaughter. I found him very handsome, charming, flirty and funny. He showed me how to look at the eclipse without hurting my eyes. However, when I touched him, I had a bad feeling about him. He was cold and ruthless. I suspected he had his humanity switch flipped at the time. This was confirmed later that day, with what happened at the boarding house and all. The one glimmer of hope I saw was when he was talking to Liz Forbes of all people. She seemed very taken with him. I know he sent her home to protect her from himself, a protective instinct even though his humanity was off. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he and Liz are friends._

_As you are not, nor have you ever been a witch, I have entrusted Sheila Bennett to help the both of you with that aspect of raising your daughter._

_Elena, I am so sorry for leaving you and Jeremy without parents. Silas is too dangerous, and I'm not putting yours or Jeremy's lives at risk by allowing him to be raised. If that means mine and your father's deaths, then so be it. If it saves your lives, it will have been worth it. The love of a parent is unconditional. You and Jeremy are my world and I love you both._

_I hope I will remain forever in your heart._

_Mom._

Tears streamed down Elena's face as Damon took her in his arms and stroked her hair. This was the reason they had wanted to wait until they were alone to read the letters. This was something private and personal to just them. And for that, they just needed each other. Tomorrow was a new day with a new challenge, to discover how to feed without it affecting Bonnie. But for now, Damon and Elena held each other in their own little world, deep in thought about both the past, and the future. One of them being, Sheila Bennett was no longer alive to help them with the baby, a fact which was not lost on Damon. They were going to need a replacement witch, and he wasn't sure if Bonnie was ready for that kind of responsibility.

The next day Bonnie arrived at the boarding house her arms laden with the book Emily had left her and two grimoires. Apparently Ric had the Gemini Coven's version of the cloaking spell. As each spell was individual to either a witch or their coven, another witch practicing the same spell from a different coven, usually had to modify it a little. She placed everything down on the table in the library, which was where they had decided to get to work.

Damon had found a robe Katherine had left behind from one of her stays. Bonnie gathered that up with Elijah's hankie and Rebekah's necklace. She wanted to perform the mind protection spell first as it was the more urgent of the two spells.

Once she'd finished the protection spell, she took the necklace and earrings from Damon and, much to his dismay, placed them in a glass of water. She asked Elena to hold the glass while Bonnie placed her hand on Elena's stomach. She closed her eyes as a wind blew up, almost blowing out the fire in the hearth. Once the wind stopped Bonnie told Elena to drink the water in the glass, to which she did.

"All done." Bonnie told her as she fished the items from the glass and dried them out. "When you wear these, there will be no sign of pregnancy." she said.

"How will I tell if it's worked?" Elena frowned as Damon approached her.

"Put the necklace on, I'll know the difference as his eyes dropped to her slightly swollen breasts. Damon helped her put the necklace on as she turned around. "Right now, I prefer you without the necklace." he growled. "But it works." he said as he kissed her.

"Men!" Bonnie huffed from behind. "Well as it has worked, I'm going home to change for the club." she said. "See you guys later." and with that she left, leaving Damon and Elena alone in the library.

Damon waited until Bonnie had left to ask the obvious question. "Do they still feel sore when you have the necklace on?" he asked hopefully.

"Maybe we should go upstairs and find out before we go to the club." Elena grinned as she vamp-sped up to Damon's room, leaving Damon to chase her.

Damon, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie arrived at the club, which was about an hours drive away from Mystic Falls late that evening. From the outside it looked like a large old abandoned warehouse, however the queue, which they bypassed, gave away its true identity. Only a club would have queues like that on a Saturday night. Once they'd gotten served at the bar, they found their booth to prepare for the night's activities.

The plan was to go through them feeding systematically until they'd worked out what felt different to Bonnie. The first test was to see if the gender of their victim played any role into how it affected Bonnie. They deemed it unlikely but it was as good a place to start as any. Bonnie and Caroline had decided to just sit it out in the booth while Damon and Elena did their stuff on the dance floor. Then after every feed they would report back via text to see how it affected Bonnie and try to work out what the difference was when she finally didn't feel anything.

The reason it was just the four of them, was because Elena had point blank refused to allow Jeremy to go on this occasion. He was behind at school, and unless his teachers were compelled, he was going to fail in pretty much every subject. Therefore Ric had offered to help him out in history and Stefan in other subjects, just to stop Elena from worrying. Elena was glad to have the support, even though she new it was just an excuse of Stefan's part not to go. He wasn't the type to enjoy clubs as it made him feel ill at ease with his vampire nature. Coupled with his pathological dislike for dancing, and Stefan would be prepared to use any excuse not to go. Bonnie on the other hand had no choice, therefore neither had Caroline as someone was needed to keep Bonnie company.

Damon and Elena headed onto the dance floor while Bonnie and Caroline sat by watching. As per usual the couple were dancing seductively, before they went searching for their prey. Bonnie had to admit when they were dancing together, they looked by that the hottest couple on the dance floor, but as soon as they started to feed, she wanted to be sick. On the other hand, Caroline, although she would never admit to Bonnie or Stefan, wished she could join them.

Initially Elena got carried away with the beat of the music and the feel of Damon's body against hers. It was like being at the Whitmore frat party all over again, except this time she had full permission by everyone, including her mom, to touch him and kiss him. They were both dressed in black as it hid the blood. Damon a black button down shirt and black pants, while Elena wore a short sleeved black dress which hung low on her back and clung to her skin, with a pair black pumps.

Once they'd finished dancing to one song, they separated to find their prey. They'd decided to try a guy first and Elena had spotted her perfect victim, therefore she headed in his direction and began to dance seductively with him. The guy responded as predicted and Elena led him to a dimly lit area where Damon was already waiting in the shadows.

Elena forced the guy up against the wall with such power, his eyes widened with fear. "Don't be scared." she compelled him. "Don't make a sound, it's not going to hurt." she said as he finally relaxed and smiled.

Damon emerged from behind Elena as he took one of the man's wrists. He always drank first to test the prey wasn't high on drugs, as they were scared of what it would do to Elena's pregnancy. He glanced over to Elena and gave her a look to let her know she was free to feed. Elena tilted the man's head and bit into his carotid artery while Damon continued to drink from the man's wrist.

After about thirty seconds Damon felt his back pocket vibrate to notify him he had a text. He stopped feeding and checked his phone and saw it was Bonnie telling him she knew they were feeding. Elena noticed Damon checking his phone out of the corner of her eye and also stopped.

"Is that Bonnie?" she asked.

"Yeah." Damon sighed. "She felt the feed." he said.

Elena turned to the guy they'd been feeding from. "Forget this ever happened. You've never seen us before." she compelled him and pushed him away as he left.

"So it wasn't the guy we fed on who Bonnie didn't feel." Damon frowned.

"It must be something else." Elena agreed.

"You wait here and I'll get our next meal." Damon told her. Elena nodded before Damon kissed her and left for the dance floor. Elena was still feeling uncomfortable watching him dance with other women.

A couple of minutes later Damon returned with a fairly plain looking girl. Ever since Elena's jealousy issues, Damon had gone to great lengths to make sure he never picked pretty girls. This was easier said than done as most women paid a lot of attention to their appearance when they went to clubs. Thus they tended to look much better than they normally would.

Again Damon tested the girl first. He's already compelled the girl to come with him and not be scared. Not that she needed much encouraging, from what Elena could guess, she'd have followed Damon to the ends of the earth without compulsion. A feeling with which Elena could sympathize with. This time however, Damon left Elena to feed alone for a moment, so he could watch and appreciate the beauty of it. As he waited and watched, he realized Bonnie hadn't called, and a thought came into his head. He took the girl's wrist and bit into it. Ten seconds later his phone buzzed as a text came in from Bonnie.

_I think I may have an idea._ Damon text back.

Damon returned the girl to the dance floor and found another. He was beginning to suspect the problem was related to when he and Elena fed simultaneously from the same person. Again he tested her, before letting Elena feed. This time he wasn't going to feed at all. He let Elena decide when she was done and compel the girl, all the while he never received a text from Bonnie, almost confirming his suspicion.

Once again Damon found another girl, tested her and allowed Elena to drink from her, while he waited. The vision of watching Elena feed was turning him on, and he knew he couldn't hold back much longer. So instead of feeding from the girl, he stood behind Elena, tucked her hair over one shoulder and bit into her neck, allowing her sweet blood to slowly flow into his mouth.

Damon pressed himself up against Elena's back. She acknowledged his presence by wiggling her behind up against his every growing erection. To find out whether she was feeling the same, Damon slipped his hands under the hem of her dress and down the front of her panties. He stroked her folds, only to discover she was as wet for him as he was hard for her.

They got rid of the girl quickly as Damon and Elena only had one thing on their minds, each other. They didn't care where they were or if anyone would see them. Although it was doubtful as they were in a back hallway, meant only for staff, who had been compelled not to use it until they were told otherwise.

Unable to wait any longer, Damon got down on his knees and lifted Elena's dress up. He swiped her panties to one side as his mouth made for it's target, her nub. There was no time for niceties. They literally had minutes before Bonnie and Caroline would come looking for them. So Damon as determined to make sure they both came hard and fast.

Damon's mouth found Elena's nub while his fingers found her pussy. The initial sensation was pure relief. All of the feeding had been building up a desire for Damon which needed a release. He'd only exacerbated matters once he'd fed from her. Elena grabbed Damon's hair as he licked her folds and began to suck on her nub, sending shocks of pleasure up her spine. As his fingers entered her wet, heated pussy, she knew she wasn't going to be able to hold on for long. He pumped his hand furiously inside of her, instead of teasing her like when they made love, he wanted her to come and the heat inside her body was telling her it was ready to oblige. He swirled his tongue around her clit and sucked once more, hard, sending her over the edge.

Elena's body reacted by pushing Damon's face closer into her pussy as the heat inside of her pussy began to spasm violently, sending every other sense numb, all she could feel was Damon.

"Damon...fuck..." she cried out breathlessly as he continued to furiously work her nub and pussy, stroking the front of her inner walls. Suddenly he withdrew his fingers and mouth before standing up, while Elena was in the final throes of her orgasm.

Damon spun her around at vamp-speed so she was facing the wall. He pulled her hips back slightly before thrusting himself inside her still contraction walls, prolonging her orgasm even more. Elena knew what he was doing, Damon had done this before. Ever since her supernatural pregnancy had started, Elena's orgasms had tended to last a lot longer than before after she'd fed. Damon's thumb found Elena's extremely sensitive nub, which he began to massage, as he began to thrust powerfully inside her. With his free hand, Damon gave Elena his wrist, to allow her the strength to continue while her body succumbed to the pleasure of the burning inside her. She bit down on his skin and started to drink his blood for a few moments before Damon pulled out of her and quickly turned her around so they were facing one another.

Elena wrapped her legs around Damon's waist as he swiftly entered her. They began to kiss as they moved in unison with one another, frantically building each other up until they knew neither of them could wait any longer. Damon's fingers found Elena's nub once more while his mouth found her neck. Simultaneously Elena bit Damon and they began to drink from one another, forging a union of body, mind and spirit.

Suddenly the heat building up inside Elena was too much, and she experienced her second orgasm in the space of five minutes. She lifted her face from Damon's neck and threw her head back as her body shook while her pussy once more contracted hard around Damon cock.

"Yes...yes...Damon...ahh..." she cried as her back arched away from the wall.

"Elena...uh...fuck..." she heard Damon growl while he thrust into her one more time as she felt his warm seed inside her.

Damon's head rested against Elena's neck while she was still coming down from the high of her release. Elena pulled him in tight to her, not wanting to ever let go of him. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist and she could hear Damon's breathing returning to normal. Eventually he lifted his head and looked at her before they started to kiss until they heard a sound which filled them with horror.

"And what the hell do you think you two are up to?" they heard Caroline's voice as they turned to see her stood in the doorway with her arms folded, a grim look on her face.

"Scram Blondie." Damon scowled. "This is none of your business."

"You were supposed to be testing the feeding theory." Caroline argued back.

"We fed a number of times and heard nothing from Sabrina. I thought we were in the clear." Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Can you turn around and give us a little privacy while we make ourselves look presentable." Elena asked as Caroline turned around, as Elena dropped her legs to the floor and they began to cover themselves up.

"You were doing fine up until about ten minutes ago." Caroline told them. "Then Bonnie...well I don't think I need to go into the gory details. But neither of you were picking up your phones." she said.

"You can turn back around." Elena told Caroline as she and Damon now looked presentable once more.

"My phone is in my purse and on silent." Elena grimaced.

"Mine is in my pock..." Damon felt his back pocket but it wasn't there. He looked around and saw it on the floor and picked it up, only to find there were thirty texts from first of all Bonnie then Caroline.

"So does that mean the theory is wrong?" Elena asked. "I was the only one feeding from that last girl." she frowned.

"Not necessarily." Damon sighed. "I was feeding from you while you were feeding from her." he said.

"Eww." Caroline grimaced.

"Cut the commentary." Damon scowled at Caroline before turning back to Elena. "Maybe that is still feeding from the same source simultaneously." he suggested.

"That would explain why she was still tied to us." Elena nodded.

"Look, whatever you guys did, you owe Bonnie a hug apology." Caroline told them.

"Why?" Damon frowned. "She's just had the best fucking orgasm of her entire life. She's certainly never gonna get it that good again, not while she's dating a human anyway." he shook his head. "She should be thanking us." he smirked.

"It's okay Caroline." Elena nodded. "Is she still here?" she asked.

"She's back at the booth." Caroline nodded as they walked back into the club to make a very embarrassing apology.

  
  


  
  


 


	48. Chapter 48

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Three weeks later, Damon was alone, sat on the couch in the parlor, with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Bonnie had finally forgiven him and Elena for the little orgasm in the middle of the club issue. From what Damon could work out, Bonnie could tell they genuinely didn't think it would affect her. However, she thought having perfectly normal post feed sex at a club wasn't entirely what she believed to be normal at all. Initially Damon had found it hilarious that Bonnie had been writhing around in the booth having the best orgasm of her life, Elena on the other hand hadn't found it funny at all. This had resulted in a huge row and a sex ban for twenty four hours, after which Damon thought he was going to go stir crazy. He was beginning to wonder how the hell he'd gone celibate for those few months between Andie and Rebekah, when now one day without Elena nearly killed him.

Eventually after much apologizing, Bonnie had agreed to go with them to a club again, but this time Stefan joined them to supervise Bonnie while Caroline supervised Damon and Elena. They finally found the formula which cause the issue. Simultaneous feeding from the same source connected all three of them. They suspected it was the baby sharing the power of the feed with Bonnie even if she wasn't there, which also linked her to every sensation Damon and Elena experienced. The feeding issue also included third party feeding. If one was feeding from the prey, they couldn't feed from each other at the same time as they often did. This was because they were simultaneously receiving nourishment from the same source. Once they'd established the protocol, Damon and Elena were free to feed without the pressure of their friends watching. Instead they'd taken to feeding separately and thus were able to have post feed sex.

While Damon was in the parlor drinking, Stefan was at school helping Caroline set things up for the graduation ceremony, and Elena was upstairs getting ready with Bonnie, which meant no shower sex, which in turn made Damon feel very grumpy. If it wasn't for the fact it would piss Elena off and guarantee no sex for at least forty eight hours, he'd be ready to kill a teacher or two for allowing Bonnie to get ready at the boarding house and in his and Elena's bedroom. On the plus side, after the party they would have all summer to have plenty of sex and cuddling (the latter Damon had suddenly become a huge fan of, especially since Elena had fallen pregnant), while they went house hunting near Whitmore College, because at least the Travelers wouldn't find them there.

Out of the blue, Damon started to feel uncomfortable with the notion Silas and the Travelers gone completely underground. Although they didn't have the power to kill the baby just yet, he got the sudden feeling that there was no reason for them not to kidnap at least one of them, and Mystic Falls was still the most obvious place to look, especially once the Travelers had realized they weren't in Seattle. Damon had no idea why, but he was now on edge.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, which caused Damon to jump. Nobody ever knocked, they usually just walked right in, this automatically put Damon on an even higher alert than he had been already. He text Elena to listen out in case there were any problems, before he went to answer the door.

Damon opened the large wooden front door, only to find a small woman on the other side. She appeared to be in her early fifties with dark hair, which had gray streaks in it.

"I'm sorry, but if you're trying to sell us something, don't bother, we've already got it. Including religion, it's called whiskey." Damon smiled sarcastically, raising his glass as proof before he attempted to close the door, however the woman stopped him.

"I've got a little message for you. It's from Silas." the woman said as she lifted a gun and shot Damon in the shoulder. The force of the bullet made Damon to stagger backwards, groaning in pain. He'd only seen one gun which could shoot wooden bullets like that before, Connors.

"Ouch, you shot me." Damon said confused, wincing as he pulled the bullet out of his shoulder as the woman began to reload the gun. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Joanna." the woman smiled crookedly. "I'm here to make our job easier to get rid of the prophesy"

"Oh no you don't!" came Bonnie's voice from behind as the woman dropped the gun and grabbed hold of her head and neck, before collapsing to the floor with pain and falling unconscious.

"Um...Bonnie." Elena's voice followed. "Don't witches die from aneurysms?" she asked.

"Normal ones yes." Bonnie explained. "Supernatural ones no." she told them. "We need to question her, but I doubt she'll say anything."

"How do you know she's a witch?" Damon asked. "She didn't give me a headache."

"She's a Traveler. I can feel it." Bonnie told him. "The baby must have recognized the signs as it went on high alert before she even knocked on the door. I was already on my way before you text Elena." she said as Damon realized that must have been why he'd been so edgy just a few moments before the strange woman arrived.

"So what do we do with her?" Elena asked as Damon and Bonnie glanced at each other, knowing Elena wasn't going to like the answer.

"She can't be allowed to let the others know where she is." Damon replied. "Keep her alive until after graduation, and then..."she stopped, hoping Elena would get the message.

"Kill her?" Elena asked folding her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"She wants the baby dead Elena." Bonnie agreed. "Keep her unconscious, take her somewhere far from here and kill her. That way the Travelers will go looking in the wrong place for her, and it gives you time to get out of Mystic Falls and back up to Richmond." she said. "She won't wake now for about twenty four hours. That gives us plenty of time to take her somewhere far away from here." she said.

"Why do you think she came here?" Elena asked, as she noticed Damon wince again with pain.

"Common sense?" Damon suggested. "Silas probably told her Katherine was being held elsewhere." he said.

"So where did she get the gun?" Elena frowned.

"Connor's RV hasn't been moved." Damon suggested. "Maybe Silas told her where to find it so she could raid his stash." he shrugged.

Elena's eyes opened wide with shock. "If that's the case, the bullet could be laced with..." she stopped not wanting to say the word. "Upstairs now!" she demanded, deciding to look for herself as she took Damon by the hand and dragged him upstairs to his room while Bonnie followed.

Once they reached the bedroom, Elena spun Damon around to face her. "Damon, take off your shirt!" she instructed.

"Elena, there are other women present." Damon said, tilting his head over to Bonnie.

"Fine." Elena simply said as she ripped his shirt open to reveal the wound on his shoulder. Bonnie's eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of a half naked Damon standing in front of her, causing him to smirk before she looked away. "Let me look." Elena insisted, putting her hand on his shoulder, to get a closer look, however Damon shrank away, cringing in pain.

"Damon, it's not healing." Elena said, panic creeping into her voice.

"I guess that's because the bullet was laced with werewolf venom, okay? The Travelers are dicks." Damon snapped.

"Surely the witch would have known this." Elena frowned. "They don't want to kill you as they need you to continue the bloodline." she said.

"Well unless they've got some of Klaus's blood, or some other witchy workaround, she fucked up." Damon agreed.

Elena turned away from Damon and started pacing across the room. "We need Klaus. We need his blood." she shook her head.

"Klaus would rather see me die. Plus, Klaus is a thousand miles away sipping Hurricanes on Bourbon Street." Damon shrugged.

"That wound will kill you!" Elena yelled.

"Don't you think I know that?" Damon asked. "On the plus side, if I die, the prophesy comes about sooner because one of the bloodlines becomes extinct." he said. "Ric can kill Silas next week and you wouldn't have to worry about you and the baby." he grimaced.

"That's not an option Damon!" Elena snapped as she took out her phone and called Caroline."

"Elena, what's up?" Caroline asked. "Please tell me you haven't lost your jewelry so the gown doesn't fit." she said in a panicked voice.

"No worse." Elena said. "Damon has werewolf toxin in his system. We need Klaus, and you're the only one he'll listen to." she pleaded. "I know you don't like Damon, but..." she began to sob.

"I know. Don't worry, I'll do everything I can to lure Klaus here." Caroline promised. "He might be an ass, but h is the father of your baby and all. And I know how much you love him. If the worst happens, we could always charter a private jet to get him to New Orleans." she suggested. "Is the wound big?" Caroline asked.

"No." Elena shook her head. "He's probably got a couple of days." she said.

"Good." Caroline stated. "That gives me time to find out if Klaus can come here first." she said. "Which means you are not getting out of graduation that easily." she insisted. "You get ready for graduation, I'll get Klaus here to Mystic Falls." she assured them before hanging up.

"But who's going to look after Damon?" Elena frowned, looking at her phone although there was nobody on the other end.

"I will!" came Ric's voice from behind her.

"Aww man, I don't need a babysitter." Damon groaned.

"Well you can't go to the graduation ceremony, just in case you have a sudden urge to kill people." Elena folded her arms. "Blood lust, hallucinations, remember?"

"Elena's right" Ric agreed. "You do need a babysitter. Even if you don't get sick from the werewolf toxin while you're there, we can't risk it. And we can't leave you alone here as there's still time for you to consciously do something stupid. Like feeding the witch some of your blood and questioning her." he said sarcastically.

"Don't be a dick!" Damon rolled his eyes. "Instead, why don't you make yourself useful and take the witch to Nowheresville, kill her and bury her. Keep her death away from Mystic Falls." he sighed.

"It's not an option Damon!" Elena snapped. "Ric is staying here until after the ceremony."

"The witch wasn't trying to kill me." Damon sighed. "She said she was just trying to make it easier to get rid of the baby." he grimaced.

"She was trying to kidnap you." Ric said dryly. "I'm not sure the werewolf toxin will kill you. Isn't there some sort of protection spell the Travelers put on you so you couldn't die?" he asked.

"They did." Bonnie replied. "But do we know whether it work against werewolf toxin? And if it was Silas who told them about the RV, how do we know he's not double crossing them?" she asked. "He doesn't have a great deal to gain from them." she said.

"Actually he does." Ric shook his head before turning to Bonnie. "You completed the Expression triangle, he still needs you to drop the veil. And for that he needs the Travelers to perform a certain ritual, to force you to drop the veil, which only they can do. They can't do it yet, but I'm guessing by kidnapping Damon, they hoped you'd turn up and try to save him. The sooner they have you incarcerated, the sooner they can make you human. That's if they've managed to get hold of the ascendant." he said. "Maybe that's how they would cure him of the werewolf toxin." he said thoughtfully.

"What's the ascendant?" Bonnie asked.

"It's the key to the time portal." Ric explained. "Remember, they kept stuff there to use to kill Silas?" he asked as everyone nodded. "Well, there are also copies of the cure too. Silas is still buried, but can't be resurrected, which means anyone who has a drop of Bennett witch blood and the ascendant can grab the copy of the cure from the time portal." he said. "Although I imagine the 1903 version of the cure might be a little hard to get to considering the lack of motorized transportation at the time. They'd need a strong witch, possibly full of Expression to transport themselves to the location and take the cure." he explained. "Anyone who can drive and has Bennett blood would be able to access the 1994 cure. So in theory they could already have the cure's ready for you. It doesn't matter to them when you take it. They just need to wait until they're powerful enough to kill the prophesy." he said.

"Can't Silas kill the baby?" Elena asked, sounding scared.

Ric shook his head. "Killing the baby would kill him too."

"So are you saying there's already more than one cure out there?" Elena asked.

"In total there are three. Which is all they need." Ric explained. "One for Silas, one for Elena and one for either Stefan or Damon. Elena wont age after taking the cure, so they can take it out of her to give it to either Stefan or Damon, or whichever one doesn't already have the cure in his system." he said. "I'm guessing they're hoping to make a start as soon as possible." he sighed.

"Which means they still need Katherine." Damon said as Ric nodded. "I think they might have a little problem there. Even we don't know where she is."

"Why would they want to start so soon?" Elena frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe to start the process of you falling out of love with Damon." Ric suggested. "Kidnap you all and keep you until December when they can kill the baby." he explained. "If they turn you all human, you'll fall back in love with Stefan. The longer you're in love with him and not Damon, the easier it will be for them to take the baby as you'll possibly start to reject it. Well that's the theory." he sighed. "Once they've gotten you, they can turn their attention to focus on finding Katherine."

"I'd never do that." Elena frowned.

"The curse will make you want to reject it." Ric said sadly.

"So what about the ascendants?" Bonnie asked, trying to change the subject. "Who has them?"

"That's the thing." Ric frowned. "The Gemini Coven still have one in their possession. The other was kept safe by Sheila Bennett. Nobody knows what she did with it, or where she hid it." he shrugged. "That's why I've been at Whitmore for the last four days. Searching Shane's office for the ascendant, but it's not there."

"So there's a chance the Travelers could have the ascendant and a cure, which was how they were going to save Damon instead of trusting the spell." Elena frowned. "But why use werewolf toxin and not just vervain?" she asked.

"Under normal circumstances vervain won't be enough for a witch who has virtually no powers, to keep  _ me _ down. I drink it remember." Damon told her. "Shoot me with werewolf venom first and then vervain will keep me down long enough for her to take me to wherever she intended for us to go." he said.

"So we're back to needing Klaus's blood." Elena sighed.

"Look, if Blondie can't come through, Ric and I will do a little road trip to New Orleans, kill the witch and bury her there. On the way we get some blood from Klaus." Damon suggested. "That's if he's feeling generous." he winced. "It's only a small wound, I've got a couple of days before I start going crazy with blood lust. I'll be all healed before you know it." he smile, although Elena could tell it was a forced fake smile.

"What if Klaus won't give it to you?" Elena said quietly.

"He will." Bonnie interjected. "He wants Silas dead and for that he needs Damon alive." she said.

"Well technically..." Damon started, but stopped and grabbed Elena gently by the shoulders. "Just go to your graduation ceremony. Let's see if Blondie pulls through with Klaus. If she does, all will be right in the world and we'll be moving back to Richmond for the summer." he smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Everything will be fine, trust me, right Ric?" he looked at his best friend for support.

"I'll make sure he doesn't do anything ridiculously stupid." Ric agreed. "I am stronger and faster than him." he smirked.

"Okay okay." Elena agreed. "You two get drunk while Bonnie and I go to the ceremony." she said. "But I'm skipping the party and coming straight home. It's not like I can drink anyway." she sighed despondently.

"Fine." Damon agreed as they kissed once more.

"So get out while Bonnie and I get ready." she smiled as she ushered Damon and Ric out of the bedroom.

An hour after Elena and Bonnie left for the graduation ceremony, Damon and Ric were sat in the parlor discussing the merits of different bourbon's when the front door opened and Klaus walked in. He glanced down at the still unconscious witch on the couch before looking between Damon and Ric.

"Looks like Blondie came through." Damon shrugged. "How the hell did you get here so fast?" he asked.

"I was already on my way." Klaus replied. "I see you haven't killed the witch yet." he frowned.

"We're going to take a road trip, kill her and dump her body somewhere else." Damon explained.

"Don't worry, I can take care of that on my way back to New Orleans." Klaus smirked.

"You know, if you don't cure me, there's a good chance the Travelers will vanish." Damon told Klaus.

"And why are you telling me this?" Klaus asked.

"Because if I die, then the prophesy is fulfilled." Damon explained. "With me dead, the Travelers can't draw on the power of the bloodlines. Wouldn't it be just easier to let me die?" he asked.

"What the fuck?" Ric asked. "Has that werewolf toxin started to melt your brain already?" he cried.

"Well, technically he does have a point." Klaus told Ric. "Although I suspect the spell the witches placed on him does work. Instead he'll just go crazy until he receives the cure or my blood. Although by then my blood might not be enough to cure him. Becoming human might be his only option. I suspect this is what the Travelers actually wanted." he said. "Even if they have a dose of the cure, they won't give it to him until they have all three doses."

"How do you know this?" Damon asked.

"Common sense really." Klaus smirked. "We know they don't have Katherine and both ascendants. They might have one, they might not have either. But even if they do, they need to get both cures from the other Prison World." he said. "Do you really think the Gemini Coven would just hand it over?" he asked.

"Nope." Damon sighed.

"Exactly." Klaus agreed. "They just care that the baby is born. After that, you dying is of no consequence to them. Therefore the Travelers are relying on your loved ones to get the ascendant and Katherine, on agreement that they will give you the cure. They would even honor that bargain. Unfortunately for you, it means the destruction of the Prophesy, and I'm not about to let that happen." he shrugged.

"So you don't think I can die from the bite?" Damon frowned.

"Doubtful." Klaus shook his head. "However, you can still go mad, and that is another reason I need to cure you." he said. "You see, there are people I quite like having alive, and I don't want you hurting them, or accidentally pulling their hearts out due to the toxin. So see, I have to feed you my blood." he said as he bit his hand. "Could I have a glass?" he asked as Ric got him one from the wet bar.

Klaus held his clenched hand over the glass, allowing the blood to drip into it, until it was a quarter full, before handing it to Damon, who wrinkled his nose, before drinking the contents. Suddenly Damon felt the wound heal and his head clear.

"Thanks." he said begrudgingly.

"Don't thank me, thank Caroline." Klaus smirked. "Right I'd better be on my way. I have a graduation ceremony to attend to." he said. "If you don't mind, put the witch in the trunk my car. It's just outside. I'll get rid of her for you." he added, leaving taking long strides out of the door.

Damon frowned. "Did I just witness Klaus buying hero hair?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe he's desperate to get into Caroline's good books." Ric suggested.

"Or her panties." Damon smirked. "I think he might have hero hair competition though. Stefan is an old pro when it comes to that game. Klaus doesn't stand a chance." he laughed.

"Were you really prepared to die to stop make sure the bloodline curse was broken?" Ric frowned.

"Dying or taking the cure. Let me see..." Damon stroked his chin dramatically. "There's no fucking way I'm becoming human. I'd lose Elena, the baby and everything. So yes Ric, I'd much rather be dead than take the cure." he shrugged.

"I doubt Elena would agree with that." Ric sighed. "You do know if you all become human and the baby survives, the curse is broken and she'd still be in love with you." he said.

"Too risky." Damon shook his head.

Ric picked the gun up off the table. "Well don't even think about using this thing on yourself." he said putting it down the back of his jeans. "Death is not an option." he said. "It won't work."

"I know." Damon scowled. "It was just an idea." he argued.

"And Elena will be very pissed when she finds out you considered that option." Ric raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell her." Damon said.

"I won't, but do you really think Klaus won't tell Elena or Caroline, who I'm sure has been dying to get revenge on you for what happened with Bonnie." Ric folded his arms.

"Shit." Damon sighed. "Didn't think about that." he winced.

"You do know that's a potential one week ban, don't you?" Ric smirked.

"Don't remind me." Damon snarled.

"You better have a good apology." Ric laughed.

"I was trying to do the right thing by her." Damon insisted.

"By hurting her?" Ric shook his head. "I doubt Elena will see it that way." he said.

"Let's just get this witch into Klaus's car." Damon said, changing the subject.

"Fine." Ric shrugged as they both got up. "But don't say I didn't warn you about Elena." he said.

As it was graduation day at Mystic Falls High, the students had gathered at the school in their red caps and gowns, to celebrate the end of their school career. They were all currently milling around on the football field as parents, family and friends arrived to watch them collect their High School Diploma's.

As they were getting into line, Caroline was still on the phone, trying to get hold of Klaus. However every time she dialed his number, it went straight to voicemail. "Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you are over me." Caroline hissed into her phone. "I'm gonna call you every ten minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life." she warned as she reached Bonnie, hung up and looked around to see it was just the two of them. "Where is everyone?" she frowned.

"I'm here." Matt called out as he suddenly arrived.

"Where have you been?" Caroline snapped.

"Oh, you know, making plans for the summer with Rebekah." Matt said smugly.

"Where's Elena?" Bonnie asked. "We can't do this without her." she said frantically as Elena and Stefan suddenly appeared.

"I'm here." Elena grinned as she hugged Bonnie.

"I can't believe it." Caroline cried. "We're actually all here. We are all here together! Bonnie Bennett, are you crying?" she demanded.

"It's our last hurrah before we go off to college." Bonnie sobbed.

"Well, the perks of being a vampire...we can go wherever we wanna go." Caroline grinned. "We can choose our own roommates. We could...we could get a triple room!" she said mischievously.

"Um... Caroline, I thought we were going to Whitmore and Damon is buying us a house there." Elena laughed.

"True." Caroline agreed, "But only until we have dealt with Silas. After that... the world is our oyster." she exclaimed dramatically.

"I'm just happy we're all here." Bonnie smiled.

"Aw...group hug!" Caroline insisted.

"Ah, I don't ...I don't hug..." Stefan started but was quickly interrupted.

"Oh, get over yourself!" Caroline snapped, as they all gathered around in a circle with their arms around each other. They were interrupted by a whistling on the mic, signaling the start of the ceremony as they turned to see Bonnie's dad on stage. They all rushed to get to their place in the line for when they were called up to receive their diploma's.

Mayor Hopkins greeted the crowds to a round of applause. "Welcome parents, family, and friends. What a beautiful day for a graduation. Thank you for joining us today on this special day, as we celebrate our graduates." he said. So let's get started. John Albrecht." he announced as John walked up on stage to collect his diploma. "David Bance." Rudy called out. "Sarah Beasley." announced. "Um, not to play favorites, but I am especially proud of this next graduate, my lovely daughter: Bonnie Bennett!" he smiled proudly as Bonnie walked up onto the stage and hugged her father. "Congratulations. I'm so proud of you, sweetie." he said off the mic.

"Thanks, Dad." Bonnie grinned.

"You're welcome." Rudy stood watching as Bonnie left the stage to join the other students, before continuing to list the names of the graduating students, who were collecting their High School Diploma's. "Savannah Davis." he called. "Matt Donovan." he smiled at Matt as he collected his certificate. "William Duncan." he said. "Caroline Forbes." Rudy announced. "Congratulations." he whispered.

"Thank you." Caroline smiled back.

"Matt Freeman." Mayor Hopkins continued. "Elena Gilbert. Congratulations." he said with a smile.

"Thank you." Elena replied as she looked towards the crowd. Sadly Damon wasn't there, but Jeremy was clapping frantically, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Klaus, causing her heart to jump with joy. She'd never been so happy to see him before, but knowing he was there, was confirmation Damon would be okay. Her day had suddenly improved considerably.

After the ceremony, Elena tentatively approached Klaus who offered his hand in way of congratulations, which Elena took and shook it.

"Congratulations." Klaus said dryly. "For graduation and on the little one." he said in such a soft voice, Elena thought she was talking to a completely different person.

"Thank you." Elena frowned. "I think. Have...have you seen Damon?" she asked.

"Ah yes." Klaus grinned his normal evil smile, which ironically put Elena more at ease than the soft version of the evil hybrid she knew. "About that. Strange, at first I thought he was already hallucinating. You see, he was convinced you'd all be better off if he were dead. Not that the witches would have allowed that, instead I told him their magic would have allowed him to go mad. The only other cure would have been to make him human, which was probably what the Travelers wanted in the first place." he told her.

"You think they have one of the other cure's?" Elena asked.

"They need all three cures. For that they need someone to get the ascendant from the Gemini Coven Katherine from Elijah and I suspect they may already have the other in their possession." Klaus explained. "For the ones they needed, they were going to use Damon as bait." he said.

"How do you know?" Elena frowned.

"It's what I'd do sweetheart." he smirked. "You see, it takes a villain to know a villain. And as I usually am the villain..." his voice tailed off and tilted his head. No further words were needed in his explanation.

"Not this time." Elena smiled. "Today you're my hero. Thank you Klaus." she said.

"My pleasure." Klaus replied, standing a little taller. "And do remind Damon not to try to kill himself before the baby is born. It wont work. Although he's more than welcome to try after that." he smirked, before walking off into the throng of people.

The crowds cleared once the ceremony was over, and the sun had already set, leaving Caroline standing alone on the football field in front of the commencement stage, watching as Klaus approached her smiling.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Caroline asked.

"I was already on my way." Klaus told her causing Caroline to raises he eyebrows in disbelief until Klaus took out a piece of paper out of the inside of his jacket. "I received your graduation announcement. It was...very subtle." he smirked as Caroline closed her eyes, smiling. "I assume you're expecting cash?"

"That, or a mini fridge." Caroline joked.

"Well, I had considered offering you a first class ticket to join me in New Orleans..." Klaus started. "But I knew what your answer would be." he said sadly. "So, I opted for something I knew you would accept." he smiled as Caroline looked at him, waiting with interest. "Tyler is now free to return to Mystic Falls."

"What?" Caroline asked.

"He is your first love." Klaus said softly. "I intend to be your last, however long it takes." he added as he kissed her on the cheek. "Congratulations, Caroline."

Caroline laughed nervously. "Tyler and I, we're over." Caroline told him, looking sheepish. "I don't know where he is to tell him." she said.

"I could find him for you, send him home." he offered, however Caroline shook her head.

"He wanted me to live my life, to move on." she admitted. "Find someone else, when I'm ready?" she added.

"But you still aren't ready are you?" Klaus asked softly as Caroline shook her head. "Maybe you never will be, and then I will be the biggest regret of your life." he smiled.

"Does there have to be regret?" Caroline bit her lip.

"What do you mean?" Klaus frowned.

Caroline took a deep breath. She knew Tyler was no longer the problem. For her to finally live her life, Caroline knew she had to get Klaus out of her system and then maybe she could be ready to move onto someone else. However she couldn't forget the past, and no matter what Klaus said, there would never be a future for them. "Can't we just pretend, for a few hours the bad things in our past never happened?" she asked. "I can't offer more than that." she lowered her eyes. "I want to, but right now, it's too much to ask of me."

"Time heals Caroline." Klaus assured her. "It is one of the greatest perks of being a vampire. You can either learn and let bygones be bygones, or you can hold a grudge. I, from experience wouldn't recommend the latter. Not long term anyway." he smiled. "Remember, just a year ago I was your greatest enemy. Today I played the role of the hero. We all have the potential to grow and change." he said. "You said it yourself not so long ago if I remember." he whispered.

"What if I fell in love with someone else. Someone who was my own soulmate, like Damon and Elena are?" Caroline asked. "Then it would be too late for you to be my last love." she said.

"Well then, I will be your greatest love that never was. Not even once." Klaus said sadly.

"I'd prefer it for you to be the greatest love that I lost." Caroline said shyly. "Even if it was just...once." she looked at him through her eyelashes.

"Just the once?" Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you scared you might want to come back for more?" he asked as Caroline shook her head. Klaus looked around at the football field. "As much as I love a beautiful starry night, I wouldn't want to spend our one night of eternity together on a football field." he smiled sweetly.

Caroline inched closer to Klaus. "Where were we the last time?" she asked seductively.

"In the woods." Klaus smirked.

"I think we should finish what we started when you became my hero on that day." Caroline suggested. "Except this time with the right equipment." she joked,

"That's twice I've played the hero." Klaus smiled. "I'd better be careful, otherwise I'll start to get a bad reputation." he winked. "Shall we get out of here?" he asked, offering Caroline his hand, which she took as they walked away from the field, smiling at one another, because for one night only, they would be just like any other normal couple in love.

Damon was stood in the parlor, with a glass of whiskey in his hand watching the fire burn in the fireplace as he heard the door slam, causing him to wince, knowing Klaus, or Caroline had told Elena of his suicidal intentions. She'd changed at Bonnie's, probably to clear her head, or work on her argument, before coming home. He stood there, waiting for the explosion of anger that was currently Elena Gilbert as she entered the room and stormed over towards him, however, he decided to talk before she even started to give him a guilt trip.

"I wanted to apologize..." Damon started as Elena crossed her arms in front of her.

"Good!" she snapped.

"Let me finish." Damon continued. "I said I wanted to. And then I realized, I'm not sorry." he turned his face to look at her.

"You would rather die, leave me and the baby than be human, and you expect me to be okay with that?" Elena shouted.

"I didn't say you were supposed to be okay with it, I just said I'm not sorry." Damon argued. "But you know what I really am? Selfish, because I make bad choices that hurt you. Yes, I would rather have died than be human. I'd rather die right now than lose you and the baby." he continued. "And even if she did survive the curse, I'd still rather die than spend a handful of years with you, only to lose you when I'm too old and sick and miserable, being a burden to you both, while you're still you. I'd rather die right now than spend my last final years remembering how good I had it and how happy I was, because that's who I am, Elena, and I'm not gonna change. And there's no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons that I'm wrong for you." he finished taking a deep breath, hoping he'd made his point clear. Him becoming human was not an option.

Elena looks at Damon for a long moment, before taking a deep breath. "Fine, then I'm not sorry either. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that knowing you has made me question everything, that in death you're the one that made me feel most alive." she argued. "You've been a terrible person, you've made all the wrong choices, but sometimes, so have I. And out of all the choices that I've made, being with you has proven to be the best one. But the one thing I am not sorry about is that I'm in love with you. The fucking curse and Travelers are going to have to try a lot harder than trying to make you human to stop me from loving you. The curse will not rule us. I loved you before I turned. And now I love you even more, Damon. I love y..." Elena never got to finish her words as Damon walked over to her and kissed her with a fierce passion that it almost swept Elena off her feet.

"I love you too." he whispered.

"Show me." Elena kissed him back as Damon took Elena by the hand and led her upstairs.

  
  


 

 

 

 


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

_September 2011._

_Dear Diary,_

_How is the summer almost over, and yet I feel like I got nothing done? Damon spent most of the summer at Richmond with Jeremy, Ric and Stefan. Caroline and Bonnie stayed over almost every weekend, and even Matt joined us a few times. We had to stay there after the kidnap attempt on Damon. Ric contacted the Gemini Coven and they looked into the Travelers Coven. They don't have enough people strong enough to replace Joanna, so they won't come after us until around November. They're keeping an eye on them until then. So for the time being, we can live a fairly normal life, well as normal as it's going to get._

_We met my new my new obstetrician, Dr. Jo Laughlin. She's a member of the Gemini coven and a specialist in supernatural pregnancies (yes these type of real medical doctors do exist). When I had my last scan, she was able to confirm Damon's suspicion that the baby was a girl, even though the coven had already confirmed this in the prophesy._

_Damon and I eventually found a house with a separate apartment over the garage house near campus for Stefan who is is also joining us at college. He decided living in the apartment would give Damon and me some privacy. The house is a huge old antebelleum style house with seven bedrooms which has been modernized. Damon says it's similar to the house he and Stefan grew up in. Its huge size means it has room for Jeremy, Ric, Matt, Caroline and Bonnie to stay all at the same time._

_Speaking of Jeremy and Matt._

_Matt and Rebekah have been sending postcards all summer. They got back last week from somewhere in Europe, I couldn't keep track with their travels and what they were up to, and honestly, I'm not sure I really wanted to know. My initial concerns were as long as Rebekah doesn't hurt Matt, then I'm fine with it whatever they've been doing. After all, he's a grown man, he can make his own decisions,so who am I to judge? I think I was concerned after what she did to Damon for leading her on, but it seems she and Matt came to an understanding and because now she's leaving to go to New Orleans to be with Klaus and Elijah._

_Yesterday Damon and I helped Jeremy move in with Matt at the old Lockwood mansion. I don't think I want to know what he and Matt will be getting up to. At least I can sleep knowing the local pizza place is now safe from going out of business in the next year or so._

_Bonnie eventually found Tyler. Turns out he'd been helping a wolf pack in Tennessee. She needed to find him as she knew the protection spell she'd tried to put on him wasn't working. Something to do with him being on the run and not giving her permission to place the spell on him. Caroline told him Klaus had said he was no longer chasing him and that he could go to college. She said she was fine with their break up, but she got everything ready for him for college. Maybe it's guilt because I know she spent the night after graduation with Klaus, and I don't think they were up all night playing checkers._

_I did ask her about it, I promised not to judge, after all I'm with Damon, but she was very coy about it. She had a huge smile on her face the next day so maybe Klaus has at least one redeeming quality, although he has had a thousand years of practice. Back to the Tyler issue, he hasn't actually said he's going to start college, but Caroline has everything ready and waiting for him. If he found out about her and Klaus, I doubt he'd ever speak to her again. So maybe it's for the best if he doesn't start college._

_Bonnie and Caroline are sharing a dorm. Caroline has been trying to get Bonnie to help with decorating ideas. She even got a color palette, which Bonnie is refusing to engage in until they see their room. Bonnie needs to feel the karma first, or whatever it is. After Bonnie declined, Caroline then tried to help with decorating mine and Damon's new place. That lasted all of thirty seconds until Damon found out, and Stefan had to come to Caroline's rescue which ended up with a piece of wood in his stomach. It turns out Damon isn't a fan of the color yellow._

_Speaking of decorating, now we know the baby is a girl, we've been starting to look at ideas for the nursery. I don't know what I was expecting of Damon, but he's had some wonderful ideas, although I initially thought the scariest one was him making the crib himself, until I saw some of his woodwork. Turns out he knows what he's doing with wood, and not just when it comes to staking someone. He's been finding the best pieces of wood and he's making some very ornate carvings. He's made some little rabbits and birds and unicorns, although I do have concerns about the horns, but he told me not to worry about that. At least it's keeping him occupied and out of trouble. It's a very different, gentle side I've seen to Damon. I really think he's going to make a great dad._

_He's told me he won't let me see the crib until it's completely finished, he's just working on ideas for the moment. I guess I'll have to trust him. In the meantime I'm going to look around at what can be bought._

_Speaking of the baby, when I don't wear my jewelry I'm huge. Damon loves it when I take the necklace off. He loves to feel my bump and says I'm sexier than ever. I'd like to say I'm not sure I believe him, I think he's just saying that, but her prefers my jewelry off than on, so maybe he's telling the truth. Whatever way it is, he's very excited about the prospect of being a father, something I never would have imagined of him. Although I guess I shouldn't be. When Damon loves, he loves passionately, fiercely and protectively, why would it be any different with his own child?_

_The other good news is Jo says I can drink alcohol (thank goodness). A vampire's metabolism works differently to a human's and as the blood is borrowed, it doesn't affect the baby in the same way. Also alcohol is part of a vampire's diet for curbing cravings and if I feel hungry my baby feels hungry. By drinking alcohol I wont feel as hungry and the baby will benefit too. I think that was one of the best piece of news I'd heard all summer._

_Today I'm helping Bonnie and Caroline move their stuff into their dorm, with the help of Stefan. He and Caroline are growing closer, much to Damon's approval. I know Damon treat Caroline badly when he first came to Mystic Falls, and I think this is his way of making it up to her. Damon is definitely matchmaking, which is something I support. I know Caroline liked Stefan when they first met, I'm just not sure Stefan sees her the same way. I think he only sees her in the same way he saw Lexi, and I'm worried it will break Caroline's heart. Damon told me not to worry and he's working on it, whatever that means._

_Jeremy and Bonnie started off well, and it has been going well over the summer, but I've got a feeling it won't last. I can' see them being together at Thanksgiving. Bonnie will be too busy with college, and Jeremy too busy playing on the Xbox with Matt. Although she never told me, I think Bonnie had reservations from the beginning and knew it wasn't going to last. At least they had fun together. I just hope when the time comes, they can be amicable about it._

_Ric has been trying to find the lost ascendant. We know the Gemini Coven still has there's, although it's a secret as to where they are keeping it. Sheila didn't leave instructions with Bonnie or even Abby about where she left it. They've gone through her grimoires to see if there was any clue, but so far nothing. We're beginning to suspect Silas got the information from Professor Shane's mind and took it when he came back from the island. Which means the Travelers may already have one of the cures. They just need the Gemini Cure and Katherine. Elijah has upped the security on Katherine, and even Klaus is having his best people protect her, even if they don't know it or even get the chance to see her._

_Other than searching for the lost ascendant, Ric has been trying to control his blood lust issues. Damon taught him snatch, eat, erase, although Ric doesn't really like the idea of hurting people, and he's not one for going to clubs. Instead Damon took him to some seedy bars off the beaten track and they found drunken deadbeats for him to feed from, before he compelled them to turn their lives around. It gave him a sense of purpose, so he doesn't mind too much, although he only does it at weekends._

_Back to Damon and I. When we weren't moving house, decorating, matchmaking or helping our friends and family in various ways, we spent the summer having fun. Firstly we went to London to choose my engagement ring. Damon knew someone who would make up a ring to our exact specification, regardless of cost. The ring is platinum with an oval shaped blue diamond, surrounded by smaller diamonds, with more diamonds in the band. We also designed our wedding rings for them to be made up, ready for when we get married._

_After that, we had a few trips to the beach, but mostly we spent the time either in bed making love, talking, planning ours and the baby's future, being a normal couple. We tried to make sure we kept any talk of our problems with Silas, the Travelers, missing ascendant and things out of the bedroom, which meant we spent as much time there as possible._

_Overall, I had the summer of my life. I've never felt so happy. But in three days it will all be over as it will be my first day of college._

_I just wish mom, dad and aunt Jenna were here to enjoy it with me._

_Elena._

"Caroline just pulled up." Damon called, startling Elena as she closed her journal and put it in her bag before placing her gold locket around her neck, allowing her bump to disappear. Fortunately, her clothes magically adjusted with the necklace, so she didn't have to buy special maternity clothes, apart from bra, as it was only the bump itself which disappeared. The rest of her curves remained the same, including larger breasts.

"I-I don't have to go and help Bonnie and Caroline..." Elena sighed. "We can still have one more day together." she offered.

"Look Elena, you might not be moving into their dorm with them, but they want to feel your presence by having your input." Damon insisted. "You're still going to college. And if it wasn't for the prophesy, we'd be at the boarding house right now, and you'd be leaving me all alone, probably with Jeremy, while you drink cheap beer and protest things you don't care about." he said. "And although you've still got all of that to come, this is the closest you'll get to living on campus. That's unless you want to share a dorm with Witchy and Blondie while I take care of our little girl." he smirked. "And I'm quite certain if you don't go, I'm not going to get the opportunity to test whether we can have more children after this one." he added.

"Why?" Elena frowned.

"Blondie might have mentioned something about removing certain parts of my anatomy if I stopped you from going." Damon sighed.

"But you're not stopping me." Elena frowned.

"If you don't go she'll never believe me." Damon shook his head. "She's been dying for an excuse to...well you get the picture." he winked

"Okay, well at least I shouldn't be gone too long, so if there's anything you need, just call me..." Elena nodded.

"Oh I've got plenty to do here." Damon smiled. "You know, crib making and all." he said as he kissed her.

"You're up to something." Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Who me?" Damon looked up at the ceiling innocently before laughing as if he were joking. "Only kidding. I plan to practise being a stay at home dad, you know like watching trashy daytime TV." he smirked.

"Damon!" Elena slapped him on the arm.

"Just go Elena." Damon insisted as he kissed her on the lips. "I really wasn't joking about Blondie's threat." he said, opening the door so they were stood on the threshold.

"Fine." Elena sighed as she took his face in her hands and kissed him, before stepping back, with her hands hanging around Damon's neck.

"I love you." Elena whispered, placing her forehead against his.

"I love you too." Damon whispered back as he kissed.

"I've just had breakfast." Caroline called out. "I'm not interested in seeing it on my passenger seat." she added as Damon and Elena broke away from their kiss and laughed.

"I'm coming Caroline." Elena called out.

"Too much information." Caroline replied as Damon and Elena both burst out laughing.

Elena started to walk down the drive, but as Damon started closing the door, Elena rushed back in to kiss him one last time, before leaving. Damon smiled for a moment and waved at Elena as she finally got into Caroline's car and they set off for the dorm. The moment the car left, Damon got out his phone and began to send out multiple texts, saying the same thing. _'She's gone. The coast is clear.'_

Exactly five minutes after Elena left, Stefan turned up at the main part of the house. Damon offered him a glass of bourbon, which Stefan took, before they sat down in the parlor.

"So have you let text Blondie to tell her you're going to be a no show today?" Damon asked.

"I did it just before I walked in the door." Stefan replied. "I waited five minutes, just like she instructed." he said. "Elena will think I'm going with you to search for wood for the crib." he raised his eyebrows.

"Elena thinks I'm up to something." Damon sighed as he took a sip of his whiskey.

"You are." Stefan frowned. "You're planning her baby shower." he said.

"Correction." Damon shook his head. "I'm carrying out orders Blondie gave out who is the one planning the baby shower." he said. "We are just her simple minions."

"Have you finished the crib yet?" Stefan asked.

"You mean cribs, as in plural?" Damon replied. "All four of them. One for here, one for the house in Richmond, one for the boarding house and one for the lake house." he explained. "All designed and made to look identical, except the color, or wood is to match the furnishings of the house. Pine for the lake house. Mahogany for the boarding house. White for the place in Richmond and pink for the one here." he smiled.

"You've been busy." Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"My little girl will get the best of everything." Damon smiled, just as there was a knock at the door. Damon got up and answered it as Ric, Matt and Jeremy walked in.

"I take it Elena's not here." Matt said.

"She's helping Bonnie and Caroline with the dorm. Then Caroline is planning to take her to a party tonight, while we get everything ready here." Damon replied. "The plan is for Elena to end up staying over at the dorm, then when she gets here tomorrow, it will be a big surprise." he grinned.

"Great idea." Matt nodded.

"Did Caroline give you the shopping list?" Ric asked as Damon took three pieces of paper out of his pocket and handed them over. Each contained a list of items for them to buy for the baby shower.

"How many people is Caroline planning to invite?" Jeremy frowned. "I thought you were keeping it small." he said.

"Caroline's idea of keeping things small don't usually match up with everyone else's idea of small." Damon shrugged. "That's not everything. Liz will be here soon to help with some of the other stuff." he told them.

"Fine." Ric sighed. "I guess we should get started on all of this shopping. Oh by the way, I checked, the Travelers haven't moved." he said as he turned and left, followed by Matt and Jeremy.

Elena and Caroline reached the dorm where Bonnie and Caroline were staying. There was already two cars parked outside. One belonging to Bonnie, one belonging to Sheriff Forbes, suggesting they'd already begun to make a start on unpacking. It was fortunate Liz was helping, as on the way over, as Caroline's car was absolutely full, and Elena knew it was only half of what she was bringing.

On the way there, Caroline had received a text from Stefan telling her he was helping Damon trying to find some wood for the crib. As Elena knew Damon was trying to matchmaker Caroline and Stefan, she didn't buy this excuse one bit. Especially as she suspected Damon was up to something, and had, by the sounds of things gotten Stefan involved somehow too, which was the discussion she and Caroline were in the middle of when they pulled up outside her dorm.

"I just don't understand why Stefan would suddenly pull out. It's not like him." Elena shook her head as she and Caroline got out of the car.

Just at that moment a hot looking guy approached them with a flyer.

"Excuse me, ladies. Party at Whitmore House tonight." he said handing Caroline looks a flyer.

"Don't worry, we'll be there." Caroline assured him. "Someone already gave me a flyer earlier."

"Glad to hear it. See you later." the guy said looking at Caroline as they watched him walk away as Elena raised an eyebrow.

"So you think Stefan is lying and is up to no good with Damon?" Caroline suddenly said, changing the subject. "What makes you think that? I mean, this is Stefan for goodness sake." she said.

"It's more of a...gut feeling. Maybe you should call him." Elena suggested.

"Absolutely not! He'll call when he's ready and able to come and help." Caroline insisted. "Or maybe he is lying and wanted some alone time away from you and Damon and your little love nest." she smiled snarkily, opening the trunk, pulling bags out and handing them to Elena.

"So you think I should just live with this nagging suspicion in the pit of my stomach?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, Elena, that pit is called guilt. You feel terrible because you broke Stefan's heart." Caroline sighed, picking up the remainder of the bags and boxes before closing the trunk of the car. "Even if it was only a fake love because of a curse. All of this time people thought nobody loved Damon, when instead it turned out the women loving Stefan only seemed to fall in love with him because of a spell. Must suck not to have someone fall in love with you for you." she frowned.

"Nice try." Elena shook her head "Stefan and I left things in a good place. It's none of our faults all of this happened. Damon and I want him to move on and find a life. He no longer has feelings for me. Stefan just needs to find the right motivation to be with someone who can love him for him and not for a curse."

"It doesn't mean he hasn't been thinking about you shacking up with his brother all summer long." Caroline said as she opened the door to the dorm and Elena walked inside. "Just because he's not in love with you, doesn't mean he's not jealous of what you and Damon have. Just the other day Bonnie and I were saying how jealous we were of yours and Damon's sex li..." Caroline stopped and clamped her mouth shut.

"Hello..." Liz smirked. "Mom ears, still here." she said as Bonnie looked from behind Liz with a stunned expression on her face and Elena looked to Caroline before mouthing the word "Oops." at Caroline, as they all began to laugh and Liz quietly left the room.

"Bonnie, Caroline, we're in college." Elena said in wonderment.

"We actually made it. We're here!" Caroline frowned in surprise.

"And we're all here together." Bonnie cried as the three of them gathered round and gave a joint hug.

"Who needs help from guys anyway?" Caroline stood back and put her hands on her hips as they all laughed again. "If Stefan wants to shop for wood, he can shop for wood." she said before she started to go through the boxes on her bed, as Elena went over to join her to look at what Caroline and Bonnie had brought with them.

"You brought a panini press?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Small appliances, by the fridge." Caroline instructed, pointing towards the fridge without looking up, as Liz brought another box into the room.

"Okay, that's the last one." Liz announced. "All right, give me a goodbye hug before I change my mind and drag you home with me." Liz swallowed as Caroline hugged her. "You can call as much as you want, you know?" she began to cry.

"Mom, we'll be fine." Caroline insisted as Liz laughed and stepped back.

"Come here." Liz smiled to Elena as she pulled her in tight. ""This is where your dad fell in love with medicine, you know?" she said. "He would be really proud to see you here."

Elena smiled. "Thank you." she said. "Although I'm not sure he'd have been too happy to see me here as a pregnant vampire." she grimaced.

"Can you take the necklace off?" Liz asked as Elena smiled and took the necklace off. Suddenly her body changed shape and her baby bump appeared, as Liz's eyes widened. "I think he'd have come round eventually." Liz smiled. "His priority was for his little girl to be happy, and she is. Yes, it took a murderous ruthless vampire to make her happy, but we can't all be perfect." she laughed. "Damon will do anything for you. You are his number one priority. In some ways, he is Grayson's obvious successor as being the most important man in your life." she smiled. "Look after this little one, and take care of Damon. As much as he doesn't think he needs it, he really does need the love of a woman." she said as they hugged once more, before Liz pulled away and turned to Bonnie.

"Watch out for my dad won't you?" Bonnie asked as Liz pulled her into a hug.

"Of course I will." Liz smiled. "You know, your mom has been around a lot more too lately. I think she's trying to help him deal with you going to college." she said. "They'll both be fine as long as you're happy." she said.

"Thank you Sheriff Forbes." Bonnie smiled as Liz rolled her eyes.

"It's Liz when I'm not in uniform." she reminded her as they parted from their hug. Liz lingered for a long moment, trying to decide whether to leave or not, while they all looked at each other, before they all began to laugh.

"Okay, go! Before I change my mind and make you stay" Caroline insisted, pointing to the door.

"I'm going, I'm going! I love you. Bye, girls." Liz smiled as she left, closing the door behind her.

The girls turn to each other excitedly. "So? You two are now roomies, which means I think we should drink to something." Elena grinned.

"Well, I couldn't agree more..." Caroline replied as she opened her suitcase and pulled out a bottle of beer and two blood bags from a chill bag. She handed the beer to Bonnie and tossed a blood bag to Elena.

"To us, and college, and being functional vampires and a powerful witch." Elena held up her blood bag aloft.

"To the next chapter in our lives." Caroline held up her blood bag.

"To all of our future's, including the little one." Bonnie lifted her beer bottle up as Elena placed her blood bag down and put her necklace back on before picking her blood bag back up again. They clinked their bags and bottle in a mock toast when they heard a knock at the door. Using their vampire speed, they stashed their blood bags, back in Caroline's case and pulled out two more beers before turning to face whoever the visitor is. The door opened and a girl walked in, carrying lots of bags and a couple of boxes.

"Hey." the girl smiled.

"Uh, who are you?" Caroline asked looking at the girl with distaste for having the audacity of interrupting their private little party.

"Oh, I'm Megan." the girls introduced herself. "Your roommate." she added as Elena, Bonnie and Caroline look at each other, shocked and confused.

Damon was in the garage putting the bulk of the food shopping into the spare refrigerator for the upcoming baby shower when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and saw Elena's name. She'd been gone less than an hour and she was calling him already. Smiling to himself, he answered his phone.

"Hot stud muffin here." Damon grinned. "What deviant sexual fantasies do you want me to bring to life tonight... oh gorgeous one." he smirked, turning his head as Stefan's car pulled into the garage.

"Umm...Damon, we have a problem." Elena said as Stefan got out out of his car, his phone in his hand and reading a text from Caroline with a frown on his head.

Damon looked at Stefan questioningly and Stefan held his phone up and mouthed the word "Caroline." in response.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked Elena as Stefan brought his phone over and showed him Caroline's message.

"Caroline and Bonnie have got a roommate." Elena whispered.

"What?" Damon narrowed his eyes and looked at Stefan with concern. "Wait a minute, how'd that happen?" he asked.

"There must've been a mix-up at the housing office." Elena told him.

"Compulsion...it's the unwanted roommate repellent." Damon explained.

"That's exactly what Caroline said." Elena agreed.

"Right, so then just compel her ass out the door." Damon shrugged.

"Damon, what's the point in going to college if we're just going to recreate what happens in Mystic Falls?" Elena sighed.

"Look at you, giving it the old college try." Damon said sarcastically. "But seriously Elena, who is she? She could be someone Silas has asked to keep an eye on you. Ric said the Travelers were all accounted for, but I don't trust the Gemini Coven yet." he said. "She needs to go." he insisted.

"I know, I know, but it's not my call to make." Elena sighed. "Bonnie isn't buying the compulsion idea. She suggests we keep an eye on her and see if she's just normal." she said.

"If she stays in that dorm, she won't stay normal for more than a week." Damon warned her. "She'll either die, become a vampire or be psychologically traumatized by Witchy and Blondie's judginess. It's for her own protection." he insisted as he looked at Stefan's phone. "So does that mean you're coming home early?" he asked, reading the text from Caroline which told them she was still taking Elena to the party, but she needed Damon to push Elena into going while she could form a backup plan for the baby shower.

"Caroline want's us to go to a party." Elena explained. "A meet and greet. But I don't know. Maybe I should just head home, put my feet up and see what my stud muffin can do to help me enjoy the rest of the evening." she said as Stefan tried his hardest not to laugh out loud at Elena's name for Damon.

"You should go." Damon urged her. "Stefan's here trying to unsuccessfully die from laughter, so I'm going to help him along and stake him. I'll probably be out all night in the woods burying him somewhere. You have fun. Get to know their roomie. Make sure she's not a Traveler. Going home early would look like a sure sign you're pregnant." he said.

"Fine." Elena sighed. "I'll go and get to know her." she said as she suddenly heard a choking noise which sounded like it was coming from Caroline. "Hold on a second." she said as she vamp-sped into the dorm from the hallway where she'd been sat talking to Damon on the phone. When she reached the dorm she saw Caroline choking, her face bright red, her lips chapped and water all over her clothes and the floor, which must have come from the bottle in her hand.

"What happened?" Elena asked.

"Caroline decided to try some of Megan's special protein water." Bonnie said with her arms folded. "Except the added ingredient isn't protein."

"It's vervain." Caroline croaked as she got a blood bag out of the mini fridge.

"I'll call you back." Elena said to Damon as she quickly hung up.

Damon turned to Stefan looking at his phone with concern after Elena had hung up.

"What was that all about?" Stefan asked. "Caroline just text to say there was a change of plan as they had a new roommate." he said.

"Yeah, about that." Damon frowned. "Caroline was just poisoned by their new roommates water. It contained vervain." he snarled.

"Traveler?" Stefan asked.

"Doubtful." Damon shook his head. "The last Ric heard this morning was they're all accounted for, unless there are ones the Gemini Coven don't know about."

"So who else could it be?" Stefan frowned.

"I dunno." Damon said thoughtfully. "The girl herself might not know anything. But whoever gave her the water does." he said as he sent a text to Elena. _"Become her friend. Find out who gave her the water. She might be innocent, but I doubt her water supplier is. D xxx"_

Caroline took large gulps from the blood bag, watching Caroline slowly recover right in front of her eyes with her vampire healing.

"Why would..." Elena started, but stopped when she heard approaching footsteps. Caroline, although not fully recovered, put the blood bag back in the fridge and took out a bottle of her own water, and bent back over, taking in deep breaths as the door to the bathroom opened and Megan appeared, wrapped in a towel.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Megan asked, her voice full of concern as she stared at Caroline, who immediately straightened up as Megan walked over with a clean towel and to gave her.

"Yeah, she's, uh, she's fine." Elena nodded.

"What happened?" Megan asked, looking to the three of them.

"Water just went down the wrong pipe." Caroline winced. "I'm okay, really. I shouldn't have touched your stuff, I'm really sorry." she said apologetically.

"It's fine." Megan smiled. "It just sounded like someone was dying out here. Well, I'm glad you're okay!" she said before returning to the bathroom, and closing the door behind her.

"She knows who we are, she drinks vervain water!" Caroline argued quietly as Bonnie just stood in silence.

"That doesn't mean she knows about us." Elena insisted.

"Seriously? I share a bathroom with this girl!" Caroline whispered. "What if she's Traveler or a hunter, and she stakes me when I'm in the shower? Or she steals my daylight ring while I'm asleep and then I burst into flames when the sun comes up?!" she asked. "What if she's trying to get through me and Bonnie to get to you or Damon, Stefan or Ric?" she continued.

"Don't you think that, if she was a hunter, we'd be dead by now?" Elena folded her arms. "And the Travelers are all accounted for, she's not one of them." she added.

"I think we should lock her up." Caroline nodded. "You know, let the vervain get out of her system, and then we compel her to forget about us."

"Caroline, we're not kidnapping your roommate!" Elena said through gritted teeth. "The best way to convince her that we're normal, is to act normal. And do normal, human, freshman-y stuff." she frowned.

"Such as?" Caroline asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Get to know her. Find out where she got the water from." Elena relayed Damon's suggestion. "Whoever gave her the water knows about vampires. That doesn't mean she does." she said. "Shh...she's coming." Elena said as Megan walked back into the room.

"I'm going for a shower." Bonnie announced as she picked up a towel and headed off to the bathroom, while Elena sat on Bonnie's bed.

"So Megan." Caroline started. "I'm really sorry about the water. I'll replace it for you, if you tell me where to get it from." she said as Elena rolled her eyes at the obvious approach Caroline was taking.

"Don't worry about it." Megan smiled. "I've got plenty." she said without going into any further detail and turning to comb her hair in front of the mirror.

"Megan..." Elena smiled. "Are you going to the party tonight?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you about that." Megan replied shyly. "I only know one other person here, so I was wondering if I could tag along with you guys...that's if you don't mind. Unless of course you're going with someone." she added nervously.

"No that's fine." Elena looked pointedly at Caroline.

"Of course." Caroline replied with a fake smiled.

"Not sure if anyone else will be joining us." Elena sighed. You see Bonnie is dating my little brother, who's only seventeen and not here." she said. "I could ask my boyfriend Damon, but I doubt he'll go. He loves a good party, but he's busy with a project he's working on." she explained. "His younger brother Stefan might go if we ask." she said thoughtfully. "He's new here too." she added.

"Stefan is her ex." Caroline stage whispered to Megan.

"Isn't that a little complicated?" Megan asked, sounding dubious by the whole situation.

"Our split was amicable." Elena nodded.

"Seriously?" Caroline spat. "It was not!"

"Stefan and I are friends now." Elena ignored Caroline. "We're in a good place now. He even lives with us, sort of." she explained.

"So you're not staying on campus?" Megan asked as Elena shook her head.

"Damon bought a house nearby so he could be near me and his brother." Elena told her.

Megan then turned her attention to Caroline. "Do you have a boyfriend, Caroline?" she asked.

"I do. His name's Tyler." Caroline replied as Elena snorted. "He had to miss move-in day, but he'll be here for the first day of classes."

"Assuming he registers. And picks a dorm. And buys books." Elena said sarcastically as Caroline threw her a pointed look. "Oh come on Caroline. You said it yourself you guys were broken up." she said.

"That was before Tyler found out he..." Caroline stopped, realizing she couldn't exactly explain the real reason why they'd broken up in the first place, instead she decided to work with some of the truth. "...his mom died just before Christmas, and because of that he moved away. He told me he wasn't coming back and not to look for him." she told Megan. "But I did. He never officially said it was over, and I told him he had a place here."

"Did he say he was going to go to college?" Megan asked.

"He didn't say he wasn't." Caroline replied hopefully as Elena and Megan glanced at each other with a knowing look.

The party is well underway when Elena, Caroline and Bonnie arrived at Whitmore house. Megan had left early to meet the one person she knew at the college. Suddenly they were approached by the guy who had handed Elena the flyer when she arrived.

"Hey, I remember you." the guy from earlier said.

"Hey. Flyer Guy." Elena smiled.

"Jesse, technically, but 'Flyer Guy' works, too." Jesse grinned back.

"I'm Elena, this is Caroline and this is Bonnie." Elena said pointing first to herself, then Caroline and finally Bonnie.

"Nice to meet you." Jesse smiled at all three of them.

"Hi." Bonnie smiled

"Hi." Caroline smiled coldly and turned away without another word. Elena looked at Jesse apologetically before following Caroline, leaving Bonnie with Jesse.

"You can't be nice to the guy?" Elena growled.

"I'm with Tyler." Caroline insisted.

"Are you?" Elena asked. "Because he hasn't called."

"From the mountains of Appalachia?" Caroline asked sarcastically.

"I'm just saying, I don't want you to get your hopes up thinking that he's coming, when he hasn't really shown much interest." Elena sighed as they walked back to Bonnie who was now on her own, holding their place at the front of the line.

"Why don't we just go inside." Bonnie said as she stepped into the house.

When Elena and Caroline tried to follow they stop suddenly at the entrance to the house, unable to go any further, as if they were blocked by some magical force.

"What the hell?" Caroline cried.

"Someone must own this place. We have to be invited in." Elena whispered when suddenly Megan appeared at the door.

"Hey! I was wondering if you guys were gonna make it." Megan she grinned as Elena and Caroline stood awkwardly in the doorway as Jesse caught up with them.

"You guys going in, or...?" Jesse asked.

"Go ahead." Elena offered as Jesse walked around them into the house.

"Why are you guys just standing there?" Megan frowned

"We were just...Caroline?" Elena started.

"Waiting for someone." Caroline stated.

"It's Stefan. He's late." Elena lied.

"I was coming in to come and find you to let you know." Bonnie told Megan.

"Right. Well, I'm gonna go hang." Megan told them as she went back into the house, while Elena and Caroline's smiles disappeared.

"Like I said, she knows." Caroline said, narrowing one eye as Bonnie stayed inside to get them all a drink while they stood outside.

When Bonnie returned they stood outside the house, hovering as if they were stood there purposely. As there was no point in staying to meet and greet nobody, they decided to go back to the dorm. However as they'd agreed they were going to be with Megan, Elena insisted she call her and tell her they were leaving. Considering how loud the music was, it was of little surprise when Megan's phone went to voicemail.

"Hey, Megan, it's Elena." Elena said, deciding to leave her a message. "Just calling to let you know why we left, so call me when you get this. Bye." she said.

"Okay, I've got a better idea. When she leaves, we grab her." Caroline suggested.

"Or we could just let her know you weren't feeling well." Elena offered.

"Will you two stop it?" Bonnie asked. "I'm with Elena on this one." she sighed.

"Elena, Bonnie, she saw us stuck at the threshold, we might as well have flashed her our fangs" Caroline frowned.

"There's no way that out of the thousands of freshmen, we were randomly paired with someone who knows about vampires." Elena shook her head.

"Maybe it wasn't random." Caroline suggested.

"And Caroline brings out the tin foil conspiracy." Bonnie snapped taking a sip from her glass when suddenly Elena's phone began to ring.

Elena looked at the caller ID. "Megan's calling." she said before answering. "Hey, Megan."

"Elena!" Megan cried down the phone. "You have to help me! He's chasing me!"

Concerned about the level of panic in Megan's voice, Elena puts the phone on speaker as Caroline and Bonnie leaned in closer.

"Megan, who's chasing you?" Elena asked.

"Help me! Oh, my god!" Megan began to cry as they looked up at the upper storey of the house, where it sounded like Megan's voice was coming from, but they couldn't see anything unusual.

"We can't come inside...the line's too long." Elena frowned. "If you come out...where are you?" she asked.

"Elena, please help me!" Megan begged as Caroline took the phone and Megan started screaming over the phone.

"Megan, can you hear me? Get outside and we can help you." Caroline insisted when suddenly something fell to the ground beside them. All three of them turned around and stepped closer towards it. It, being Megan's body.

"Oh no." Bonnie clamped her hand over her mouth at the sight.

"Oh, my god!" Elena shook her head in disbelief.

"Who did this to her?" Caroline frowned.

"It's a vampire bite." Elena said blankly.

  


 

 


	50. Chapter 50

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Elena, Caroline and Bonnie stared at Megan's dead body when Bonnie suddenly screamed.

"What are you doing?" Caroline growled through gritted teeth.

"What any normal sane person would do, because there's no hiding this." Bonnie whispered. "You're not supposed to be vampires, you're meant to be, so _act_ human. Look scared, shocked, you know, as if this is something you've never seen before." she said.

"She's right Caroline." Elena agreed. "Oh my god. Oh my god." she suddenly began to panic loudly.

"Help...help..." Caroline shouted as people came running across to look at the body.

"I'm calling the police." a voice said.

"We should give her some space. And not let anyone get near her until the police arrive." Caroline said in her compulsion voice, to as many people as possible. She knew it was possible to compel multiple people at once, but she wasn't sure how many she was capable of compelling so Elena decided to join in.

"I agree." she said looking at a group of five people. "We need to give her space and make sure nobody goes near the body until the police arrive." she said.

About nine people over all helped them clear the space around Megan while they waited for the police, who were surprisingly quick, taking only about five minutes to arrive. Once they got to the scene, the police cleared away the gawking crowd which surrounded the body, including Elena, Caroline and Bonnie.

"What is happening?" Elena shook her head. "Our roommate is dead, there was a vampire at the party..." she tailed off thoughtfully.

"We don't know what she knew or who she told." Caroline shrugged. "We should get out of here."

Elena's eyes widened with horror. "Caroline, I left that message on her voicemail!" she said in a panicked voice.

"Don't worry, I took her phone." Caroline assured her.

"What?" Elena cried as a policewoman approached them.

"Hey, girls? I'm Dianne Freeman, I'm head of Campus Security." Dianne introduced herself. "Are you girls okay?" she asked.

"Um..I think so." Elena nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." Bonnie replied while Caroline simply nodded.

"I understand Megan was your roommate." Dianne looked to them as they all nodded to confirm her assessment. "I'm so sorry you had to find her like this." she said sadly.

"Do you know what happened?" Caroline asked.

"We found a note." Dianne told them. "Apparently she was struggling with severe depression." she said.

"Wait, what do you mean you found a note?" Elena turned to Bonnie and Caroline, looking at them suspiciously.

"Your roommate took her own life." Dianne told them.

"You think this was a suicide?" Caroline raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"She didn't seem depressed." Bonnie narrowed her eyes.

"We're convinced it was a suicide." Dianne insisted. "But we can't seem to find her cell phone. Have you seen it?" she asked.

"No." Caroline shook her head.

"Okay. If it turns up, let us know?" Dianne asked as they simply nodded, before Dianne walked away.

"What is going on?" Elena whispered.

"I'm guessing suicide is the Whitmore college version of animal attack." Bonnie replied.

"I'm calling Damon." Elena said as she took her phone out of her pocket.

"What can Damon do?" Bonnie asked.

"You don't think this is what he was up to with Stefan do you?" Caroline put her hands on her hips. "Damon's a lot of bad things Elena, and I'm perfectly happy to list them for you, but even I don't think he did this." she shook her head.

"I never said he did." Elena frowned. "I just think he might know something about it." she said.

"How?" Bonnie asked. "I thought he was back at your place, shopping for wood. How would he know anything about this?"

Elena thought for a moment. She knew she couldn't tell her friends about Damon's time as a lab rat, as it wasn't her story to tell. But it was potentially relevant. However, she realized they now needed to know about the Augustine vampire project. The more they knew the better, as they didn't want to be in danger should anyone find out they were vampires. So she opted for a semi-truthful version of her knowledge.

"Damon told me he'd heard some old stories about this college." Elena told them. "He didn't go into a lot of details, but let's just say once upon a time there were rumors of a vampire being held here in captivity." she said.

"And you didn't think to tell us this before because...?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"As far as Damon knew, the vampire died." Elena shrugged. "It's a really old story from the fifties." she said nervously. "I didn't think there was any reason to mention it." she added innocently.

"And how does Damon know this?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Word gets around?" Elena shrugged.

"And Damon was absolutely sure the vampire died?" Bonnie asked, as Elena started to wonder if maybe Damon was mistaken and his friend survived after all.

"That's what Damon heard." Elena insisted. "Look I need to call him." she said as she walked off and took her phone out and called Damon.

"Well if that vampire died, then it looks like they found a replacement." Bonnie sighed.

Damon and Stefan were putting everything they could fit into Stefan's apartment. It was clear the baby shower was going to have to be delayed as Elena was likely to be coming back later instead of staying at the dorm now that Bonnie and Caroline had a roommate. The problem was, Caroline had given them a large list, and Stefan's apartment was very small. The living room was so packed full of baby items, such as chairs, buggies, diapers, clothes and things babies needed; it was impossible to move. Just as they were about done Damon's phone rang, which he answered as soon as he saw it was Elena. He suspected she wanted him to come collect her.

"Hi sexy, you want me to come and get you?" Damon asked, getting straight to the point.

"Not sure." Elena replied. "Are you alone?" she asked.

"If you want phone sex, all you had to do was ask." Damon smirked. "I'm with Stefan, but I'll find somewhere private." he told her with a grin as he vamp-sped from Stefan's apartment and back to the house. "Okay, I'm all yours. What do you want me to do first?" he asked.

"Damon!" Elena chided him.

"What? This isn't phone sex?" Damon asked, pretending to sound disappointed.

"No." Elena replied. "I think we've got a major problem with Bonnie and Caroline's roommate." she said.

"So she does know about vampires?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Well she found out about them." Elena told him. "Right before one killed her."

"What?" Damon frowned. "There's another vampire on campus?" he asked.

"Yeah." Elena replied. "Megan was upstairs in Whitmore house and whoever it was, was chasing her. Then she was thrown out of the upstairs window, I think." she told him. "When the police came, they said it was a suicide and she was depressed. But there were bite marks on her neck." she said.

"I thought she was on vervain." Damon said.

"She was." Elena replied.

"So whoever drained her, must drink or be exposed to vervain on a daily basis, and lots of it." Damon said thoughtfully.

"Why would anyone choose to drink large doses of vervain?" Elena asked. "To avoid compulsion you only need a small amount." she said. "You don't think they found a..." Elena looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "A replacement for you and your friend." she whispered.

Damon thought for a moment. "They must have." he frowned. "Your dad was doing experiments in the nineties. I never thought about who he was doing the experiments on." he said.

"Either that or your friend survived." Elena suggested. "Megan did say it was a man chasing her." she said.

"Could be." Damon frowned. "Although I doubt it."

"Don't you think Caroline and Stefan should know about this?" Elena asked.

"Why?" Damon replied.

"Just so they can be on the look out for anything out of the ordinary." she said.

"Why don't we include the wicked witch of the west and let everyone have a good laugh at my expense." Damon snapped.

"I doubt anyone will laugh." Elena said sadly.

"Okay, even worse than laughing, they might feel sorry for me." Damon said grumpily. "I don't want a pity party." he told her.

"I'm not saying that Damon." Elena pinched her nose in frustration. "But if they are still doing experiments, don't you think it would be a wise idea that Stefan and Caroline know instead of ending up in a cell like you did."

"Fine, I'll tell Stefan." Damon grumbled.

"And Caroline?" Elena asked.

"Do we have to?" Damon replied sweetly.

"Damon!" Elena snapped.

"Okay, okay." Damon sighed. "Looks like we're having a Salvatore slumber party tonight.

An hour later, Caroline's car drove up the gated driveway and parked outside Damon and Elena's house. Elena, Caroline and Bonnie all got out and walked in, following Elena to the parlor where a nervous looking Damon was stood by the wet bar and a confused looking Stefan sat on the couch with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Elena went over to Damon and wrapped her arms around him as she knew this was asking a lot from him to open up to something traumatic about his past. However this was no longer about just him, this had implications for all of them.

Damon kissed Elena on the head and poured three more drinks, one for Elena, one for Caroline and one for Bonnie who was ready to refuse but changed her mind when she saw the stony expression on Elena's face. Damon moved to stand in front of the lit fireplace while the other three sat down, Caroline on the couch next to Stefan, Elena sat on the end of the couch nearest Damon and Bonnie sat next to Elena.

"Okay so what's going on?" Caroline asked. "You brought us all the way here when we should be spending our first night in our dorm, instead we're here. What has this got to do with Megan?" she asked.

"You know I said Damon knew some stuff about Whitmore?" Elena started as she looked to Damon before turning back to Caroline.

"Yeah." Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Well I think it's best if he tells you himself what happened." Elena said.

"Just get on with it." Bonnie said quietly.

"Ground rules." Damon started. "No laughing, no pity party and no guilt trips." he said looking pointedly at Stefan. "Pinky swear?" he asked sarcastically.

"Damon." Stefan frowned. "Just tell us what you know." he sighed.

"Okay." Damon shrugged. "Have it your way. Don't say I didn't warn you." he glanced over at Elena who knew as much as Damon made it sound like a joke, this story had the potential to devastate Stefan, which was why Elena had warned Caroline to stick close to Stefan after Damon had said his piece because Stefan might need a friend when he heard what Damon had to say. Caroline had initially been dismissive, however after Damon's little speech Caroline was beginning to seem more on edge.

"Nobody is going to judge." Elena sighed. "Not you anyway. You didn't do anything wrong." she added taking his hand in hers and rubbing circles on his knuckles, which she knew soothed him.

"Well that's the million dollar question isn't it?" Damon shrugged as he perched himself on the arm of the couch next to Elena, as if having her close would make the story easier to tell. "Okay so best place is to start at the beginning." he said turning to Stefan. "Do you remember dear uncle Joseph?" Damon asked his brother.

"Of course." Stefan looked at Damon apprehensively. "You killed him."

"Granted I did kill him." Damon admitted with a nod of his head. "But do you know _why_ I killed him?" he asked.

"I dunno, because he pissed you off?" Stefan frowned. "Look Damon, I don't know why you kill people. Quit stalling and get to the point." he huffed.

"I killed him because dear old uncle Joe, sold us out to the Augustine society." Damon folded his arms.

"The who?" Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"The Augustine society." Damon stood up and poured himself another drink. "They would have taken you but I made sure they didn't find out there were any other vampires living at the boarding house by killing uncle Joe before he told them. By the time you got there, they'd gone and you were safe from them finding out about you." he said.

"And you?" Bonnie asked. "What happened to you?"

"Funny you should ask that." Damon frowned.

"They took you instead." Caroline said as Damon nodded. "What did they want?" she asked.

"They wanted to find out how a vampire's body worked." Damon explained. "How it healed. How it reacted to pain. How much pain a vampire could withstand. I'm sure you get the picture." he lowered his eyes as Elena grabbed his hand and looked up at him, smiling proudly. Elena knew telling everyone about this secret, was as hard for Damon to reveal, than it was to have his cornea removed.

"They...tortured you?" Bonnie's face screwed up in disgust.

"Nice to know you care." Damon replied with surprise at Bonnie's response. "They called it medical research." he told them.

"And you let them?" Caroline asked.

"I didn't have much choice." Damon sighed. "They vervained me, kept me weak by barely feeding me. I couldn't fight back." he said.

"How long did it last?" Stefan finally spoke.

"Five years, give or take." Damon shrugged. "They kept us in a cell, kept us weak, and did all kinds of experiments on us every day."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Stefan whispered.

"Does it matter?" Damon asked.

"I matters to me." Stefan replied.

"Us?" Caroline interrupted.

"I wasn't the only lab vamp rat in there." Damon told her, deciding Caroline's question was easier to answer than Stefan's. "There was another guy, Enzo, or 12144, as they called him."

"What was your number." Elena asked, trying hard not to cry, even though she'd already heard the story before. He'd never mentioned them being assigned a number instead of a name.

"I was 21051." Damon told her as she squeezed his hand once more. "Look long story short, Whitmore college was where we were held. Now as far as I know, Enzo died the night I escaped. But we do have reason to believe there is another vampire being experimented on." he said.

"You think this is the vampire which killed Megan?" Bonnie asked.

"When a vampire drinks a human with vervain in their system, they stop as it hurts. Even if they consume a little every day." Damon explained. "The Augustine research vampires have vervain injected into them every day. And possibly large quantities too. Probably more after I escaped." he said quietly.

"How did you escape?" Stefan asked.

"That's another story for another day brother." Damon replied. "One which is not particularly relevant to this sordid tale." he added.

"Unless Enzo is the vampire who killed Megan." Caroline said.

"He can't be." Damon shook his head. "But there might be a way to find out."

"How?" Stefan asked.

"Elena, your dad's journals. I know your mom gave me access to some of them. Do you know where his research ones might be?" Damon asked. "Or were they destroyed in the fire when John Gilbert torched his surgery?" he asked.

"The office was already cleared out." Elena shook her head. "Aunt Jenna did it. I think she took some of the stuff up to the Lake House." she said.

"What about the stuff in your parents bedroom closet." Stefan suggested. "I know at the time we were interested in the old Gilbert journals, but weren't there some of your dad's journals there?" he asked.

"It wouldn't be in there." Elena shook her head. "Jenna didn't know about that. They're probably in the spare bedroom." she said.

"Great, we'll see if there's any reference to them in there." Damon smiled grimly.

"We could go tomorrow if you want?" Elena suggested.

"And then do what?" Damon sighed. "What if it really is him?"

"Then we rescue him." Elena said.

"But he killed our roommate." Bonnie frowned. "Why would we rescue him? What has he done to deserve being rescued?" she asked.

"Enzo's only real crime is being in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like Damon was." Elena insisted. "Damon told me a little of some of the things that were done to him. And trust me, I wouldn't even wish it on Klaus." she said.

"That bad?" Caroline asked looking shocked.

"If we find dad's journals, then I'll let you read a page or two." Elena said. "But I'm guessing it might be an idea not to eat or drink blood before, it might come straight back up." she said, burying her head into Damon's chest and wrapping her arms around his waist as he gently held her, reassuring her he was okay.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Stefan stood up.

"No need to ruffle your hero hair Stefan." Damon shook his head. "What would have been the point? Would it have saved Enzo and me? Of course not. You didn't know I was there when it was relevant. Would it have done anything other than potentially fuel a guilt ridden ripper binge?" he told him. "The best thing I could do was say nothing." he said.

"And that's why your humanity was off all of that time." Stefan sighed. "How long was it off for?" he asked.

"Fifty years, give or take." Damon shrugged. "But that is not the issue right now. Let's just say it is Enzo in there. How do we rescue him? Because if we do, they're going to want a replacement vampire. And I'm not willing to risk putting any of you through that." he turned to Caroline. "Not even you Blondie."

"Nice to know you care." Caroline said sarcastically as she folded her arms.

"How come Elena knows all about this, but this is the first I've heard." Stefan asked, still clearly upset Damon had never confided in him.

"Elena is going to be my wife and the mother of my child." Damon replied. "She is the only person in the entire world who has any right to know everything about me." he snapped.

"We can't just leave him there." Elena interrupted them. "He could stay here until he's rehabilitated." she suggested.

"And who's taking the psyche classes to help him?" Damon asked sarcastically.

"I am." Bonnie held her hand up.

"It was a joke." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Surely it can't be that hard." Elena begged. "He was your friend Damon."

"Okay." Damon agreed. "If we find out the vampire is Enzo, then we try to help him break free and help return him back to society. If not, we just make sure we keep well away from anything to do with the Augustine society. Deal?" he asked as everyone nodded their heads.

"And what about Ric?" Stefan asked. "Shouldn't he know all about the Augustine society?"

"He should brother." Damon agreed. "Right now he's trying to find out from the Gemini Coven which ascendant is missing. Is it mommy dear or Norman 'Kai Parker' Bates." he continued. "So brother, tomorrow, I need you to give Ric a quick run down on the Augustine society, while Elena and I go to the Lake House and go through the journal's, see if there is anything in them." he told them.

"What exactly do you want me to tell him?" Stefan asked.

"As much as you want to." Damon shrugged. "If Ric has any questions he can ask me later. We might know more by then anyway." he said. "In the meantime however, I think we've done enough delving into my past for one night. I'm turning in. Elena, do you wish to join me?" he asked, holding his hand out.

"Thought you'd never ask." Elena smiled as they stood up and walked off to their bedroom.

Once Damon and Elena had left, Stefan, Caroline and Bonnie looked at each other in shock. They could tell it had been hard for Damon to open up about what had happened, his jokes and bravado hadn't hidden anything from them.

"Wow, I can't believe he never told you." Bonnie said to Stefan.

"I know." Stefan sighed, his eyes cast down.

"It must have been pretty horrific if Damon had his humanity off all of those years." Caroline frowned.

"Damon didn't turn off his humanity because of the torture." Stefan swallowed. "Something else drove him to it. And I suspect it might be something to do with this Enzo person." he said.

"You think he felt guilty for managing to escape while this other guy potentially died?" Bonnie asked.

"If you'd have asked me a year ago, I'd have said Damon doesn't understand the meaning of guilt." Stefan shook his head. "But now I'm not so sure. Maybe guilt is his trigger for flipping the switch. Before I thought it was because he liked being the way he is...or was." he put his face in his hands as Caroline rubbed his back. "I can't believe he told Elena before he told me." he said sadly.

"Maybe he was trying to protect you, like he said." Caroline suggested. "You'd have felt really guilty if you'd have know what had happened and he'd been through to protect you. I mean, look at you now. Back then you'd just spent all of that time turning your life back around. How could he tell you?" she asked.

"Why not?" Stefan asked. "His emotions were off. He could have gloated." he said.

"But that's not Damon." Bonnie frowned, confused at the fact she seemed to understand Damon better than Stefan. "He's not the type of guy to gloat about something like that. He prefers to keep things to himself. Although you're right about him opening up to Elena. In fact, I think that's kinda sweet." she smiled.

"What's sweet about it?" Stefan frowned.

"That he's found someone who he feels he can be his true self with." Bonnie explained. "We get the occasional glimpse of the real Damon Salvatore, but only Elena actually knows him. They're like an extension of each other. They can't hide anything. And they trust each other implicitly." she continued. "They're friends first, lovers second. I just hope some day I find someone like that." she sighed.

Stefan looked thoughtful for a moment before briefly glancing over at Caroline, a look which didn't go unnoticed by Bonnie. She made a mental note to let Damon and Elena know about this small development. Maybe that was the type of push Caroline and Stefan needed.

The next day Damon and Elena set off for the lake house to hunt for Grayson's journals. Damon had been reading the ones Miranda had told them about, which had still been at the Gilbert house. Jeremy had taken them to Richmond for Damon to look through, to use Grayson's guidance as a father. Oddly, it seemed Damon possibly understood the two different versions of Grayson more than Elena did.

When Elena had found out about her father's experiments on vampires, she couldn't understand how the gentle man she knew, could be capable of such cruelty. Damon had calmed her down by suggesting he may not have done the same type of research Damon had experienced as times had moved on, and so had the advancement of medical science. From what Damon could tell, this had worked, and Damon had hoped he would never have to revisit the topic again. That was until Megan was killed and Elena connected the dots by realizing the culprit must have been a research vampire. Now the journals were going to reveal exactly what her father had done to his test subject, and he couldn't hide behind ignorance. If Grayson had been as cruel as Dr Whitmore, which he suspected was the case, he just hoped Elena would be able to forgive her father as he had.

Damon knew Miranda had given him Grayson's journals for a reason. At some point in the future, there was a good chance his daughter would find out about his own terrible past, and she would be in the same position Elena was in at this point in her life. In that respect, Damon and Grayson weren't very different. Although Grayson wouldn't be able to give Damon advice on how to handle the situation, in some respect, Damon was already getting a preview of what would happen when the time came for his daughter to discover his past. Her reactions might be different to Elena's, but at least he had some idea of what to come. And for that, he would forever be grateful to Miranda for having the foresight to prepare him for what could possible become the hardest day of his life as a father.

What Damon wasn't prepared for, was how to deal with Enzo, if indeed his old friend was the vampire who killed Megan. He and Enzo had made a pact to kill the descendants of Dr Whitmore. At first Damon had carried out this pact, and the last family member he'd killed had been when his humanity had been off in 1997. If Elena hadn't have become pregnant, he was supposed to have killed off the next generation of Whitmore's over the summer, leaving just one family member as per his and Enzo's agreement. But he hadn't gotten around to doing it, and he wasn't even sure if he wanted to anymore. Every time he'd killed a Whitmore his switch had been flipped. But now he could no longer justify killing innocent people for the sake of a fifty year revenge plot, to which didn't even involve the people he was killing. Now his reluctance to kill the Whitmore's over the summer might have turned into a blessing. If the vampire was indeed Enzo, Damon could rationale his reasons to not kill the family of his torturers, because Enzo would see Elena, Jeremy and maybe even his own daughter in the same light. He would have to convince Enzo not to continue with the revenge pact. Instead, he would simply suggest targeting the current tormentor. He just hoped Enzo could keep his humanity switch on and they could help him back into society without revenge on the brain. This had been one of the main reasons he'd been reluctant to rescue his friend, if indeed he was still alive and being tortured by the Augustine society.

After a drive in relative peace, they pulled up in Damon's car outside the lake house. They sat outside for a few moments taking in the enormity of what they were about to do. Somewhere, inside the log cabin, was a link to Damon's darkest past. A part of Damon's life which he'd tried hard to block out. He'd never expected to have to confront it again, especially here of all places.

Elena looked at Damon before they got out of the car. No matter how much Damon had tried to suggest her father might have been practicing in different experiments, Elena wasn't an idiot. She knew he was trying to appease her. Elena was dreading what she was going to find out about the things her father had done. Damon had suggested she didn't read the journals, instead he would look to find out who the test subject was, after all, that was the purpose of the visit, to see if it was Damon's friend who was being tortured.

Damon wouldn't go into detail of how he escaped the torment, however she had now come to realize this was the reason behind Damon flipping his switch for fifty years, not the torture itself. Elena was also fully aware Damon didn't want to face Enzo. His guilt for possibly leaving his friend behind was too much. Elena on the other hand suspected if Damon could confront his guilt, and reconcile with Enzo, then it would have a positive impact on Damon's life. This could even be a project for Damon to take on before they got involved in the Silas situation once again.

Elena opened the door and they let themselves in. There was a hint of dust in the air as it had been a few months since anyone had stepped inside the cabin. Luckily it was September, so it wasn't too cold, but out of force of habit, Damon walked over to the fire and lit it, while Elena turned the lights on throughout the house. Once they'd gotten themselves settled, they made their way upstairs, hand in hand, to the spare bedroom. Once inside they opened the closet and began to search for the boxes containing Grayson Gilbert's medical journals.

Damon stacked up the boxes of journals, which included various journals throughout the century, stretching from Jonathan Gilbert in the 1860's, down to Grayson and even John Gilbert himself. Damon just piled the boxes, one on top of the other and carried them out of the closet and put them down on the bed. There they started to sort through them until they found six journals which belonged to Grayson, four of them looked to be his handwritten medical journals.

They put the rest of the journals back and took two each. All they were doing was flipping through the pages to find a reference number for the vampire Grayson had been working on. As Damon opened the pages and began to scour the notes for what looked like a specimen number, Elena was reading slowly. This is what Damon had been dreading. The last thing he wanted was for Elena to read the details of the torture inflicted upon the poor soul who was locked inside the cell until they had their daily routine of torment.

Damon snapped the book out of Elena's hand. "Elena, I don't want you to read this stuff." he told her.

"I'm a big girl Damon, I can handle it." she stuck her nose in the air indignantly.

"You might be able to, but you are getting distracted from the task at hand. We are looking for the number 12144 written anywhere." Damon told her. "If you find it, then we know Enzo was the vampire your father was experimenting on." he said.

"Fine." Elena sighed. "I won't read details until I've scanned through for that number." she said as she quietly started to flip through the pages, dragging her fingers down the page as she went through each line looking for Enzo's number. "If we do find his number, what do we do?" Elena asked.

"I'll text Stefan and ask him arrange a Scooby gang meeting for when we get back." Damon replied. "If we're breaking Enzo out, we're going to need a plan of epic proportions, which will probably require the assistance of humans." he said.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Because in all probability, we are all going to need inviting in from the current owner of Whitmore house." Damon explained. "That is where the entrance to the lab used to be. That of course, is unless they've updated their facilities since 1958." he said. "If they are suspicious of vampires, they won't give out verbal invitations, unless they want you as a permanent resident in their cells. Which means humans only." he added.

"Here!" Elena suddenly shrieked. "It's here." she pointed at the page with the number written down.

Damon took the book from her and began to read.

_December 14th 1998._

_Test subject 12144_

_Results show the recovery rate from rabies was 24 hours without vervain. Adding 50ml of vervain to the subject, slowed down the healing by 12 hours. Once recovered, I used 100ml of vervain, which again increased the recovery rate by 12 hours._

Damon stopped. "I think that's enough." he said closing the book getting his phone out. "We know your father worked on Enzo, which means there's a good chance he was the one who killed Megan." he began typing out a text.

"Is that to Stefan?" Elena asked as Damon nodded. "Can I look at the rest?" she asked, taking the journal from Damon's hand without waiting for an answer. Damon closed his eyes and waited for what he knew was going to come. "Oh my god!" she cried as she dropped the book, ran into the en-suite bathroom and threw up into the toilet.

  
  


 

 


	51. Chapter 51

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Damon rushed over to the bathroom and held Elena's hair back while she was retching. He sat next to her and stroked her back as sadness washed over him, knowing her reading the book, had done this. He shouldn't have let her grab it like that, but he knew she'd have just fought him and have gotten hold of one of them eventually. Once she'd finished, Elena sat back breathlessly, allowing Damon to stand up and get her a glass of water.

"Thank you." she said, taking it from him and drinking it down, before getting to her feet. "Do you mind taking the journals into my room while I have a quick shower and brush my teeth?" she asked as Damon nodded and kissed her on the forehead.

"Don't be too long." Damon smiled sadly. "I'll talk to Stefan while you're in there." he said as he left the bathroom, collected the journals from the bed and headed to Elena's room. He put them on the nightstand and called Stefan's number.

"Damon." Stefan answered also immediately.

"Hello brother." Damon replied. "You get my text?" he asked.

"Yeah." Stefan sighed. "So it sounds like your buddy Enzo might be our mystery vampire after . What do you plan on doing about it?" he asked.

"Well we can't just storm Whitmore House." Damon sighed. "Only Sabrina can get in right now." he said.

"And Bonnie's strong, but not that strong." Stefan agreed.

"Which means we need to find out who owns the building." Damon said.

"How?" Stefan asked.

"Just leave that part to me." Damon grimaced. "I know a little bit about the Whitmore family. It shouldn't take me too long to track down the owner." he said.

"So what are you going to do when you find them Damon?" Stefan asked. "Torture the owner until he or she lets you in, or cut the the chase and just kill them?"

"As tempting as that offer is little brother." Damon started. "I am now officially a reformed serial killer. That kind of lifestyle no longer appeals to me as I have a little girl on the way who needs emotionally protecting from all things that go argh, including my past. You see, I want to make sure she grows up to be as wonderful and pure as her mother. And to do that, I must be of a clear conscience. Which is why I've hung up my fangs and leather jacket for all murderous and torture purposes." he continued. Now they're simply there for self defense." he added.

"Fine, so how do we get Enzo out of there?" Stefan sighed.

"First of all I need you to make sure the Scooby gang are at the house when we get back." Damon said.

"When will that be?" Stefan asked.

Damon took a deep breath. "That's a good question." he said. "Elena saw some of the stuff her dad did and promptly threw up. So now she's having a shower." he added.

"She didn't take it well then?" Stefan asked.

"Nope." Damon replied. "And she only saw the details of fingernail removal. I'm hoping she won't get as far as the spleen." he said.

"Damon..." Stefan started.

"You couldn't have done anything other than get caught, so shut up!" Damon insisted. "We'll be home when Elena's recovered from the shock of her father's torture capabilities." he said.

"So probably tonight then?" Stefan suggested.

"Probably." Damon replied. "I need to reassure her that everything will be fine." he said. "And I need to tell her something important. Which may or may not result in her staking me." he grimaced.

"That bad huh?" Stefan asked.

"Yep!" Damon replied with the emphasis on the letter 'P' as he heard the water from the shower being turned off. "Look, Elena will be here in a minute. Just gather Blondie, Ric and the Wicked Witch of the West at ours for around seven. We need to work out a plan of action." he added as he heard Elena brushing her teeth.

"I'll get on it." Stefan agreed.

"Ask them to bring everything they can find on Megan." Damon instructed. "We need to find out what her connection to Whitmore was. She was drinking vervain water, so someone who knew about vampires gave it to her. Also see if you can get hold of the death certificate." he said.

"Will do." Stefan replied.

"Gotta go brother." Damon sighed. "Elena's finished in the shower, and she and I need to talk." he finished as he hung up the phone while Elena walked into the bedroom wearing only the necklace around her neck and a towel around her chest, her hair was clipped back to prevent it from getting wet in the shower, making he look delectable in Damon's eyes. "Hey." Damon smiled at her, opening his arms as she crawled onto the bed, however instead of laying beside him, she sat on his lap and started to stroke his face before resting her forehead against his.

"I will never let anyone hurt you like that again." Elena whispered. "How could they?" she asked, staring into his eyes. "These beautiful blue eyes, how could anyone want to hurt them." she said as she leaned in. Damon closed his eyes as she kissed each lid, before opening them to see tears in her eyes.

"Hey...don't cry." Damon whispered, rubbing her arm sympathetically. "I'm here, and I'm all fine." he assured her with a smile.

"I know." Elena nodded. "I just...I just..." she stopped and kissed him passionately, with an almost desperate feel to it. Elena broke away and rested her forehead against his once more, while she cupped his face. "I needed that." she said. "I need to feel you are real, and safe. She added as she kissed him again, however this time she began to move her hips over his, as he hardened underneath her.

"Elena." he moaned as he pulled away. "This is not the right time. You're feeling emotional." he warned.

"It is exactly the right time." Elena muttered as she began to kiss Damon all over his face. "Hurting you hurts me. And I need to make sure you're not hurting." she started to unbutton his shirt. "I need to touch you, see you, feel you, smell you, taste you. I need all of you Damon, inside and out." she whispered as her mouth made its way down to Damon's neck.

"You want to do this now?" Damon asked as his body was hoping she would say yes, but his mind was dubious. Although Elena had made it clear she wanted to make love to him, and he could sense her arousal, he didn't like the idea of making love to her while she had tears in her eyes, unless they were tears of happiness and not because she was emotionally hurt because of what had happened to him. He knew he had to stop her, so he took her by the wrists and pushed her away slightly, causing her to pout, in what Damon thought was the cutest of manner.

"Damon." Elena pulled her hands away and stroked his cheek. "I want to celebrate the fact that you are here, safe, with me. I want to feel that your body is healed. And maybe I want to heal it some more." she smirked as the tears began to dry away. "I love you and I'm feeling all protective over you." she said as she lowered her mouth to Damon's ear. "And you know if I catch anyone trying to hurt you again like that." she whispered. "First I'll break every bone in their fingers...individually and slowly. Then I'll do the same to their hands." Damon gulped at her words. Her voice was low, seductive and predatory, and it was affecting him so badly, his brain could no longer compete with his body's desires. "I'll work my way up their arms, tearing at every muscle, nerve and sinew, making them scream in pain, until they won't ever be able to use them again to hurt you. After that I'll rip out their toenails and fingernails without anesthetic, see how they like it." she whispered as she began to nibble his earlobe.

Damon knew Elena would never hurt anyone like that, however a sudden wave of protectiveness washed over him, suggesting the baby wanted to protect him too. Of late, when Elena's emotions had been fueled by the additional baby magic, her imagination usually went to extremes, forcing her to say things she didn't mean. Although, the sentiment behind the words were always valid. These words Elena had just uttered had turned him on like crazy. They told him Elena felt just as protective over him as he did over her.

Suddenly Damon felt a small prick on his neck, followed by the joy and desire of Elena licking and tugging at his blood. Elena ripped his shirt open, sending buttons flying across the bed, but Damon no longer cared, his brain had switched off and all he could focus on was Elena. He tilted his head and bit into her neck, as he fed on her passion, her need to protect him and her absolute, unmovable desire for him at that moment. If he'd had one shred of doubt regarding what they should be doing, it was now gone. Elena had more than convinced him she wanted to make love to him for the right reasons.

Elena gently scratched her fingernails down Damon's chest, taking in the sensation of the fine hairs around his nipples. The contours of his abs and the softness of his skin. She pulled away from drinking the blood from his neck, as she wanted to tasted the skin on his chest and arms. Elena sat back and pulled Damon's on legs so he was laying on his back with a smile on his face, ready to let her conduct her own experiments on him. In that moment, she realized how implicitly he trusted her, he'd experienced all kinds of horrors, yet he was happy to let her dominate him and do whatever she wanted with him, simply because he loved her.

Elena unclipped her hair, allowing him to run his fingers through her tresses as her mouth made it's way to Damon's chest, her fangs descended and she caught his nipple with the sharp tip, drawing blood, to which she immediately sucked on, causing Damon to moan with pleasure. She continued to make her way down his body, urged on by the sensual moans coming from his mouth, which simply fueled her own desire for him. When Elena unfastened his jeans, Damon lifted his hips to help her as she pulled them down, along with his boxer briefs, freeing his swollen shaft from it's cotton prison.

Elena wrapped her hand around his already hardened member and began to gently pump her wrist up and down. She glanced up at his face and noticed his eyes roll into the back of his head with pleasure. Elena swirled her tongue around the swollen head, taking in the salty pre-cum which was seeping from the tip, earning her an extra high pitched moan, much to her own satisfaction. However Elena wasn't done. She had an experiment of her own she wished to conduct. One she didn't want to warn Damon about as it would only work if it was unexpected.

She lowered her head in a fashion so that her hair practically covered her face. She felt the veins around her eyes tickle and her fangs elongate before she plunged them into his femoral artery, which made Damon's hips buck.

"Oh fuck!" he cried as she worked her hand, feeling him coming closer and closer to his release. Just as Elena knew he was about to climax Elena removed her fangs and scraped one up the underside of his shaft. She licked at the blood and took him deep into her mouth, forcing her teeth back, so they could no longer pierce the skin, however Damon was too far gone. He gently grasped hold of her hair as Elena heard him cry out. She quickly glanced up to see his face screw up with bliss.

"Elena..." he whispered breathlessly, his body tensing up as she felt his seed mixed with blood slip down her throat.

Elena climbed slowly back up his body, kissing his abdomen and chest along the way, until she was lying on top of him, looking down at his smiling face.

"I thought I'd try an experiment of my own." she smirked.

"Where the hell did you learn to do that?" Damon asked, the grin on his face made him look as if he was positively glowing.

"Nowhere. I just wanted to try it out on you. I wasn't sure if you would like it or not." she replied coyly.

"Well it's a good job you weren't carrying out the Augustine experiments." Damon smiled, deciding jokes might help Elena come to terms with learning about the torment of his past. "We'd have been fighting each other to be subjected to your version of torture." he smirked. "Come to think about it, they'd have had vampires lining up to be your test subjects."

"Very funny Damon." Elena tapped him on the chest as he rolled them over and hovered above her.

"I think you're now all mine to do experiments on." he said as his eyes lit up mischievously before kissing her tenderly on the lips. He then opened the towel, revealing her naked body underneath. "Oops." he grinned as his mouth made it's way down her chest, avoiding her breasts which were still tender.

Damon's lips made their way down to the tops of her thighs, as he parted her legs and lifted her knees up. His ran the tip of his tongue around the entrance of Elena's core, then his hot wet mouth made it's way up to her nub, which he gently took between his blunt human teeth and began to suck on. Heat ripped throughout Elena's body, even though Damon had only just started. She was incredibly turned on and she knew from experience how quickly he could bring her to her release when she was feeling protective towards him.

Elena felt Damon slip two fingers inside her, which caused her pelvis to buck in the air. She gripped his hair with one hand and the sheets with her other hand as her core became hotter and hotter from Damon's ministrations. Suddenly Elena felt a tiny pinprick of pain in her nub, then she felt the most incredible rush of a pleasurable sensation as she looked down she could see the veins around Damon's eyes and his fangs out as he was sucking on her nub, a drop of blood on his lips. It was all that was needed to tip her over the edge.

"Oh my god...Damon." she cried as she felt the white hot spasms deep in her core, taking over her body, pulsating through her veins.

Elena's back arched and body went rigid while she vaguely felt Damon's mouth and fingers disappear. The next moment, Damon was inside her, stretching her and filling her, while she continued to convulse around him. As she came down from her release, Damon began to thrust inside her, gently at first, but he soon gathered pace. Elena didn't require any recovery time, as her body responded to his. She wrapped her legs around Damon's waist and moved her hips in a synchronized rhythm with his.

The only sound in the room was their moans and pants, with the occasional sound of the slapping of sweaty skin as their movements gathered speed. Damon cupped Elena's behind with one hand as she did the same with him. Pulling their hips closer together, as if it would deepen the penetration. With her other hand, Elena dug her fingers into the nape of his neck, while they kissed and bit and sucked on each others lips. Their fangs descending intermittently, drawing drops of blood here and there, teasing one another to distraction. The taste of blood only heightening the experience and bringing them closer together. However after only a few minutes, their movements became more frantic. This form of blood sharing simply made them more in tune with each other's bodies. They automatically knew how close the other was, allowing them to control their own timing.

Damon slid his hand between them and began to massage Elena's nub. The heat had been building inside her, and she needed the tipping point, which Damon was clearly more than happy to provide. The moment his fingers came into contact with her nub, she thought her body was going to explode. He core violently contracted around Damon's shaft, sending a tidal wave of pleasure to wash over her.

"Oh fuck...Damon...argh..." she cried as she grabbed hold of Damon's shoulders to help steady her, while her back arched and her body went rigid, as the numb heat overcame her core.

"Elena..." was all Damon could breathlessly manage as he pressed his forehead against hers while he closed his eyes and his face contorted into an expression of agonizing bliss as Elena felt his warm seed fill her, letting her know he had finally found his release.

Moments later he opened his eyes and stared at her lovingly, laying a chaste kiss on her lips.

"It was worth going through the Augustine torture if I'm going to get your regular expert healing skills." he smirked.

"It worked?" Elena asked.

"Not sure." Damon whispered stroking her hair. "You might have to keep at it, maybe we could call it therapy." he winked as he rested his head next to Elena's to allow him a few moments to recover before pulling out of her and turning over onto his back.

Elena lay her head in the crook of Damon's neck with a smile on her face. She knew he was hers and he was safe, and she wanted them to stay in their little bubble for as long as possible, but she knew it wouldn't last. They were there for a reason, and she suspected Damon had a lot more of the story to tell. He seemed almost reluctant to help his friend, which was very unlike Damon, who was usually very loyal and protective with those who he cared about. She also knew he was itching to tell her something, but trying to gather up the courage. This could only mean one thing, whatever it was, it was bad. Therefore Elena knew she had to initiate the conversation.

"What are you not wanting to tell me?" Elena asked as she drew circles on Damon's chest.

"I'm beginning to think you're psychic." Damon chuckled, although Elena thought she could detect a sense of hesitancy in his voice.

"No Damon." Elena corrected him. "I'm just observant." she said. "I know there are parts of the story you left out. And you don't seem as excited as you should be about rescuing your friend who you thought was dead. Why?" she asked.

Damon took a deep breath. "Do you promise not to stake me?" he asked as Elena looked at him suspiciously.

"Of course." she frowned.

"And you won't be too mad with me?" he winced.

"I'll try." Elena began to worry about what Damon was about to tell her.

"Oh well, here goes nothing." Damon sighed. "So while Enzo and I were recovering from whatever daily delights Dr Whitmore had to offer, we would pass the rest of the time discussing what we would do after we escaped." he told her.

"That makes sense." Elena lifted her head and rested it on her hand as he turned over to face her. "I can imagine there would be a lot of focus of your dreams and ambitions for when you got out." she smiled.

"We weren't discussing cookery classes Elena." Damon closed his eyes. "We were talking about revenge." he said.

"Oh." Elena simple replied, not knowing what else to say.

"Enzo's first idea was to start with killing Whitmore's dog and mailing it to his house postage due." Damon explained. "As time went on, our ideas became more...deadly and cruel." he told her, his face full of regret. "My original plan was to take out the entire Augustine society, and then kill every member of the Whitmore family." he said.

"And did you?" Elena raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not." Damon replied hesitantly.

"Good." Elena replied. "Although in some ways I wouldn't have been able to blame you."

"I didn't do it because Enzo didn't think it was creative enough." he sighed.

"So you did carry out some form of revenge." Elena said slowly. It was more of a statement than a question as she realized why Damon hadn't wanted to tell her about this, he knew she wasn't going to like what she was about to hear. "Why?" she asked.

"It wasn't just about revenge Elena." Damon grimaced. "I thought Enzo was dead, and the only way I could honor his memory was to carry out our revenge plan."

"But I thought your humanity was off." Elena frowned. "Why would you care? Wanting revenge is an emotional reaction to anger, being hurt." she said.

"True." Damon agreed. "But unlike Stefan, if I choose to turn my humanity off, I can turn it back on at will. I don't need to be tortured. I have absolute control over that part of me. It's how I dealt with the guilt after I turned it back on when I met you." he explained. "At night I'd sometimes turn it off. That way I could sleep, the next morning I'd turn my humanity back on. How do you think I killed Lexi?" he asked.

"So when we first met after I started dating Stefan, the reason you were like you were was because you kept turning it off for small periods of time so you could cope with the guilt?" she asked. Damon nodded in reply. "When did you stop turning it off?" she asked.

Damon frowned as he thought for a moment."After I found out about Isobel being your mother." he said. "I realized I'd hurt you, and I knew I couldn't do that again. So I decided to make sure I didn't turn it off unless it was absolutely necessary, because otherwise I couldn't protect you." he said.

"And when you killed Jeremy?" Elena asked.

"Oh believe me, I wanted to turn it off." Damon sighed. "But I knew I needed to feel the guilt and pain. I was in love with you and the only way I could redeem myself was to feel the guilt, the shame and the pain. Even if I didn't let anyone else know it was there." he said looking sheepish.

"Okay, so now we've established that you have more control over your switch than the average vampire." Elena said through gritted teeth. "How did you get your revenge on the Augustine's?" she asked.

Damon took a deep breath. He knew she wouldn't like what he was going to tell her, but he didn't have a choice. The result of his and Enzo's discussions could affect all of them, and they needed to be prepared for the consequences of this agreement he and Enzo had made.

"So as I said, Enzo didn't think my idea was creative enough, so I decided to add an extra level of cruelty." he swallowed. "I decided after I'd taken out the entire Augustine society, I'd kill every member of the Whitmore family, except for one person. I'd let that person grow up, start a family, and then I'd start killing Whitmores again. And then I'd take out the generation after that, leaving only one person to carry on the name, and then I'd take out the generation after that and so on, and so on, and so on." he said.

"And you carried out that plan?" Elena spat, disgusted by Damon's revelation.

"Yes and no." Damon admitted.

"How many of the Whitmore family have you killed Damon?" Elena asked.

"Since 1958? I lost count." he replied sheepishly.

"When was the last one?" Elena asked.

"It was back in 1997." Damon told her. "While my humanity was still off." he said. "This summer it was time for me to kill the next generation and leave one person to carry on the name. But I couldn't." he shook his head.

"Why not?" Elena asked.

"My humanity was on and I realized these people were innocent." Damon explained. "These people were you. Your dad was an Augustine doctor. They had as much to do with Dr Whitmore's research as you did with your dad's. Plus I have no desire to kill unless it is to protect those I love or for self defense. Killing innocent people is no longer on my agenda." he sighed.

Elena stayed silent for a few minutes, digesting Damon's story before deciding to speak. "You're worried Enzo will try and exact the same kind of revenge on my dad's family aren't you? Including me and Jer." she asked as Damon nodded sadly. "But you're his friend. Surely he wouldn't do it. I mean surely for you he wouldn't if you asked." she frowned.

"Let's just say I'm expecting Enzo to be extremely pissed off with me." Damon frowned. "It's going to take a lot of work for us to stop him." he said.

"Do you think you can?" Elena asked.

"I honestly don't know." Damon shrugged. "I'm just hoping that because if I eventually manage to free him, he will forgive me for being fifty od years late. Although luckily he can't kill you." he smiled.

"But he might want to kill Jer." Elena's eyes widened with fear.

"Which means Sabrina is going to have to dig deep into those grimoires to come up with a new advanced Gilbert ring which protects hunters from vampires who are out to get revenge." Damon said before lowering his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Do you forgive me?" he asked.

"Of course I do." Elena sighed. "I don't approve of what you did, but I understand why you did it. Just promise me you won't kill any more of them." she said.

"As long as they're not a threat to anyone I love, I promise I won't harm a hair on another Whitmore head." Damon smiled.

"Okay." Elena nodded. "You're forgiven."

"Good." Damon smiled. "Because on the plus side, it does mean I know who the remaining members of the Whitmore family are." he said.

"And why will that help?" Elena frowned.

"To get into Whitmore House, we need to be invited in." Damon explained. "And I think I know exactly the right person to ask." he grinned.

"Who?" Elena asked excitedly.

"Let's get ready and go home, that way I can double check my records." he told her.. "Then I can announce it to the Sccoby gang while we formulate a plan to rescue Enzo." he said.

"Okay." Elena smiled and kissed him as they got up and ready to go home.

Damon and Elena arrived back from the lake house to find Stefan, Caroline, Ric and Bonnie in the kitchen, eating taco's and laughing. As soon as they heard Damon and Elena walk in they stopped causing Damon and Elena to glance at each other in confusion.

"I'm so sorry." Caroline jumped up and hugged Elena.

"Me too." Bonnie came over and joined them.

"Why, what happened?" Elena frowned.

"Stefan told us you saw some stuff from your dad's journals." Bonnie told her. "He said it made you sick. Are they really that bad?" she asked flashing her eyes to Damon as she realized Elena had only read of Grayson's work, Damon had actually endured it.

"It's not just what he did." Elena pulled back and wrapped her arm around Damon's waist. "It's knowing someone who would have done that to Damon if he hadn't escaped." she said as Caroline's eyes glazed over.

"Don't get any funny ideas Blondie." Damon joked. "Not with me anyway. But there are some very useful vampire torture tips in those journals. Learning about Grayson's work wouldn't be a bad thing, and if anyone decided to go into medicine, there's some interesting work in there." he said nonchalantly. "I learned a lot about the human anatomy in my version of Bio class." he raised an eyebrow, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Taco?" Stefan asked offering Damon and Elena some food as he realized Damon wanted to cut the conversation short.

They both shook their heads. "Look I'm just going to go and get that information I told you about." Damon told Elena, referring to who owned Whitmore House. He then turned to everyone else. "Class is in session in the parlor in five minutes. I hope everyone brought their homework." he smirked, as he disappeared to the study and everyone made their way into the parlor.

Five minutes later, they were all gathered around with their various projects. Bonnie had Megan's phone. Caroline had gotten her death certificate, although neither of them knew why this was relevant.

Elena had brought all of Grayson's journals, not just the research ones. Elena was angry with her father for what he'd done, and she wanted to go through the other two secret journals he'd kept, which must have been related to Whitmore, because they were stored with his research files. She hoped in these, there might be something he had done to save someone as a result of his research. If he'd put his work to good use, then maybe she could forgive him, although right now she was extremely angry and hurt by what he'd done. Because even if it wasn't done directly to Damon, it could have been him, but instead, it had been Damon's friend.

Elena placed the journals on the coffee table where everyone immediately picked one up and began to flip through them. Elena had been looking through the two which didn't contain the gruesome experiments of Enzo, instead trying to find out what connection they had to Whitmore. But she'd found nothing which stood out to her. So far all it had been about was her father treating a young girl with a heart condition back in 1999, which she knew was unlikely to be related to vampire research as heart removal was on piece of surgery off the experimental table.

Damon returned from the study with some documents in his hand, which Elena realized must have been related to the Whitmore family. As much as she was understanding of Damon's revenge plan and why he'd enacted it, she was glad he'd stopped once he'd regained his humanity. She just hoped the Whitmore family themselves no longer had anything to do with the Augustine project, although they were still experimenting on them on college grounds, when a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"If the current owner of Whitmore house knows nothing of the Augustine project, then they won't have invited Enzo into the house." Elena said. "That means the lab isn't part of the house itself, and there must be another entrance."

"You're right. But the problem is it could be anywhere." Damon agreed. "It's a huge campus, so where do you want to start looking?" he asked. "At least here we have a known entrance to the lab. But we'll come to that in a minute." he said going through the papers as Elena picked up Megan's phone and started to look through the numbers and pictures when her face suddenly turned to shock as she held the phone up for everyone to see.

"look at this, it's a picture of Megan, with my dad!" she cried.

  
  


 

 


	52. Chapter 52

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Elena held out Megan's phone for everyone to see the picture of Megan and Grayson, which looked to be a few years old, although Elena couldn't say for certain. Judging by Megan's appearance Elena suspected Megan was in her early teens when the picture was taken.

"Why would Megan know your dad?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know." Elena frowned, putting Megan's phone down and picking up her dad's journal, one of the two which weren't about his vampire research. Elena had been trying to find a link to why he's included it with his Whitmore journals while she'd been reading them in the car on the way home. She suddenly had an idea which could explain the link.

"Maybe she was a patient of his." Ric suggested as Elena continued to try and find the page she was looking for.

"There is an entry about a young girl in 1999, who was a heart patient." Elena frowned. "She was seven at the time." she said, as the revelation hit her. "I think I remember my dad talking about this little girl. I wonder if he was talking about Megan." she continued as she flicked through the pages until she found the part where she'd earlier stopped reading. At the time she didn't want to snoop into her father's confidential patient details. However it turned out it might be important after all, under those circumstances, snooping was entirely allowed in her eyes. "Listen to this." she said as read out a passage from her dad's journal. ""January 1999. Saw Megan King today. Megan is seven years old. She suffers from a congenital heart defect with a life expectancy of two months. A single injection of vampire blood appears to be an effective life-saving solution." Oh my god. That's why Megan had a picture of my dad on her phone...because he saved her life." she cried.

"That answers that question about how she knew your dad." Damon said. "But why would they stay in touch possibly six, maybe even seven years later?" he asked as Elena shrugged, not knowing what to say, it was as much of a mystery to her. "It was clearly nothing to do with keeping a medical eye on Megan as once vampire blood healed, it didn't suddenly un-heal itself. So it was something else." Damon added.

"So there _is_ a link between Megan and the Augustine society." Stefan stated.

"And she was still drinking vervain water." Caroline said.

"Well dad wasn't supplying her with water when she started college." Elena shook her head. "Which means she must have gotten it from somewhere else."

"Yeah but who? Maybe she was still in touch with someone else from the society?" Caroline suggested. "I said she knew about us." she growled, folding her arms.

"But who?" Elena asked.

"Maybe Doctor Wes Maxfield." Ric said.

"Who?" Damon asked.

"The person who signed Megan's death certificate confirming it was suicide and not an animal attack or a vampire bite." Ric explained. "He's one of the college professors here." he told them. "He teaches microbiology. He's very... intense." he frowned. "I bumped into him while I was settling into my office which is near Whitmore house." he said.

"Good work Ric. Looks like we have a viable candidate for Doctor Frankenstein the third, or fourth, or maybe even the fifth." Damon smirked.

"You think he could be responsible for running the current Augustine program?" Caroline asked.

"He clearly knows about vampires and it willing to cover it up." Damon said. "And Ric says he's creepy."

"Intense." Ric corrected him.

"Intense, creepy, whatever." Damon shrugged. "He's clearly shady. Only someone familiar with the project would cover it up, which makes Dr Maxfield our number one suspect." he said with a satisfied smile.

"So what do we do now?" Bonnie asked.

"Well, it depends on who feels like studying microbiology?" Damon asked.

"I'll do it." Elena replied, holding up her hand.

"No! Absolutely not!" Damon insisted, glaring at Elena.

"It makes sense if I do it Damon." Elena started. "He won't suspect a thing. My dad studied here. He was an Augustine doctor. If Dr Maxfield knows anything about the research project, he'll know who my dad was. It might give me an advantage to get to know him." she smirked.

"What about me?" Bonnie asked.

"You are going to be doing whatever witchiness is needed for the rescue plan, and you volunteered for Enzo rehab." Damon smirked. "Plus you're on magic filter duty. And you're human, meaning you don't need to be invited into Whitmore house, so you don't need to get involved until the rescue mission itself. You've got enough to do. Conserve your strength, and while you do, I'd suggest you cram in as much studying while you can." he suggested. "You're gonna be a busy little bee when you're dealing with Enzo." he added.

"Surely looking after Enzo isn't going to be that hard." Bonnie sighed.

"You are going to have to charm him with your feminine ways." Damon told her. "So trust me, you have got a harder job than you think." he smirked as Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"What about me?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, and me." Caroline frowned.

"Well Stefan, I doubt you would do much better charming him with your feminine ways than Sabrina, who does has magic as a back up plan when all else fails." Damon smirked. "And Blondie, I have a very specific mission which you are the most suitably qualified person for." he smiled. "And I actually think you'll enjoy it." he added.

"And that is?" Caroline asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Try getting on to the planning committees. Anything like that. Especially if Dr Maxfield is involved." Damon suggested as Caroline's eyes lit up.

"I was already planning to do that." Caroline told him.

"Thought so." Damon nodded. "That alone should get you an invite into Whitmore house." he said.

"I can go with Elena." Stefan offered. "That's if you're worried about the baby and stuff." he suggested.

"I'm doing it Damon!" Elena declared, putting her dad's journal back down and looking through Megan's phone once more.

"Okay, fine Elena." Damon sighed before turning to Stefan. "I'll feel better if you go with her brother." he agreed. "But I am going to need at least one person to become friends with..." he picked up the document he'd brought in with him. "With Aaron Whitmore." he said.

"Who's Aaron Whitmore?" Bonnie asked.

"He's our meal ticket into Whitmore house." Damon smiled.

"And someone who happens to be in Megan's contact list." Elena frowned as she looked through the texts and calls. "Aaron must have been the person she was meeting up with as he was the last person she text, which says 'See you later'." Elena said.

"Looks like we have another connection." Damon smiled. "So who is going to befriend Aaron?" he asked. "Stefan?" he suggested.

"I'll see what I can find out." Stefan sighed.

"And how are you going to get in?" Elena asked.

"Easy." Damon smirked. "I'm going to get caught."

"WHAT!" Elena screamed, standing up. "You are not going in there again!" she demanded.

"Don't worry. They won't have time to ruffle my hair." Damon put his arms around Elena. "I'll get caught just before you storm the building."

"So now we've got to rescue two of you?" Bonnie frowned.

"Yes and no." Damon shrugged.

"I'll assess what needs to be down to Enzo to make sure he's easy to get out without escaping." Damon explained. "I need to find out exactly how pissed off with me Enzo is going to be. Otherwise he could be trouble." he winced.

"I'm taking it there's more to the story of just being prisoners." Stefan raised an eyebrow.

"Why would he be pissed off with you?" Caroline asked.

"Is this to do with you escaping and him still being there?" Ric asked as Damon nodded. "Oh he's gonna be pissed alright." he laughed.

"It's not a joke." Elena said. "That's why you told me about the little plan you and Enzo hatched isn't it?" she folded her arms as Damon nodded. "I don't want you to go back in there." she begged.

"It's my only way in." Damon sighed.

"We'll do it without you." Elena argued.

"Do it without me and you're not going in there." Damon replied angrily. "The moment Enzo finds out your are Elena Gilbert, daughter of the esteemed Dr Grayson Gilbert, what do you think he will do?" Hmm?" he asked.

"I can take him. Ric trained me." Elena replied confidently.

Damon took a deep breath. "Enzo was a soldier." he said. "His pain tolerance is higher than anyone here, maybe save Ric. And I'm guessing he's quite partial to vervain on the bloody rocks. It seems that stuff will not take him down." he continued. "It is going to require pure ultimate vampire muscle power and a dose of magic. We might even need an extra human with the ability to shoot and not die. Does anyone here know how to use a gun properly?" he asked as everyone except Ric and Stefan shook their heads.

"Why?" Bonnie asked.

"We are going to need fire power of the non-magical variety." Damon told her. "Wooden bullets and tranquilizers."

"So two shooters" Ric raised an eyebrow as Damon nodded. "Well I can fill one role." he suggested.

"I can be the other shooter." Stefan suggested but Damon shook his head.

"We don't know how strong Enzo is. Or what tests they've run on him." Damon told them. "We need all of the vampire power we can get, which is why Ric can't be on shooter duty as he is an Original vampire. Which leaves either Quarterback or Little Gilbert, as they have fairly decent gun skills, thanks to yours truly.." he smirked. "Now unless Sabrina can find a way to make a Gilbert ring which protects a supernatural hunter, that leaves Donovan. Which is...concerning." he frowned.

"You want to bring Matt into this?" Elena looked at Damon in shock.

"We'll have Stefan as one of our shooters and Quarterback the other, who will be wearing a Gilbert ring, which means as long as he shoots first, and gets killed later, he should be good to come back as annoying as ever." Damon smirked.

"And why do you think the Enzo guy might not go with us?" Caroline asked. "Isn't shooting him just going to aggravate him and make it worse? Why don't we talk to him nicely instead?" she asked.

Damon shifted about uncomfortably, which Elena recognized as another uncomfortable tale he probably needed to tell them, just so they knew what to be prepared for. But as this would involve Enzo, she suspected it would be best to come from Damon's mouth first, not from Enzo.

"Damon." Elena said softly. "You need to tell us your side of the story. Otherwise people are going to hear Enzo's first and won't listen to yours." she told him.

"I know." Damon groaned.

"We all know Enzo was left behind." Elena started. "I'm guessing the reason he's going to be pissed has something to do with why he was left behind." she said as Damon nodded. "I won't judge. You know that don't you?" she smiled, took his hand and rubbed it in a soothing manner, the way she always did to calm him down.

"I think it's best we know what to expect." Stefan agreed. "I won't judge you for what you did. You needed to escape." he said.

"I'm guessing whatever happened must have been a high price to pay." Bonnie sighed. "But we know bits of it already. You are only filling in the blanks." she said.

"Well I'll decide after I've heard the story." Caroline folded her arms. "If Damon finds it bad, it must be really bad, so I can't promise not to judge, but I will try." she agreed.

"Fair enough." Damon shrugged, appreciating Caroline's honesty.

"Go on." Elena encouraged him.

Damon took a deep breath and started his story. "They let us out of the basement once a year." he told them. "Every New Year's Eve, the Augustine people had a little cocktail party with a vampire buffet on the side. We were weak from vervain injections...half-starved from living on a glass of blood a day, chained up like animals. This little annual shindig is where Dr. Whitmore got to show all of his Augustine friends what he'd found in his research. He let his guests drink from us to demonstrate the healing power of vampire blood. But on the plus side, that's how Enzo came up with his plan." he explained.

"The problem with our daily ration of blood was that it was barely enough for one vampire to survive on." Damon continued. "But Enzo figured if one of us were to drink two rations every day for the next year, he'd be able to build up his strength so that by the time New Year's Eve came round again that one of us would be ready to fight back." he told them. "It was just a matter of choosing which one of us would get stronger." he said.

"How did you choose?" Stefan asked.

"It was simple. We played scissor, paper, stone to decide." Damon smiled. "After three rounds, I won. So I drank the blood every day for a year to get my strength up for the next party." he said.

"So it worked?" Elena asked.

"More or less." Damon said thoughtfully.

"What went wrong?" Caroline asked,

"I'd been drinking Enzo's rations for an entire year. I mean, he kept a few drops here and there so he wouldn't desiccate, and as he starved himself, I got stronger from all the extra blood just like he said I would." Damon told them. "Like he usually did, Dr Whitmore took us to the New Years party. Then just before midnight, he introduced us, and instead of offering the guests a glass of champagne to toast in the New Year, he offered vampire blood instead." he continued. "Dr Whitmore let me out wearing only handcuffs, thinking I was too weak to do anything and locked Enzo in the cage. I began to push against the cuffs, breaking every bone in my hand, until it was deformed enough for me to free it." he said.

"Oh my god." Elena whispered, clamping her hand over her mouth with horror.

"What they didn't figure on was my healing abilities." Damon smiled. "Dr Whitmore thought I was too weak to heal, but because I'd been drinking the extra blood, I healed right away. But just to make sure, I fed on Dr Whitmore." he said. "As you can imagine, everyone at the party was now terrified. I was a starving vampire, and if I released Enzo, that would be two starving vampires. The party survival rate would have been zero." Damon took a deep breath. "I started to feed to get even stronger to help get Enzo out. But I got so carried away with the feed, I didn't notice that in all of the chaos, someone had knocked over a candelabra and set the room on fire." he carried on. "Obviously Enzo noticed it and shouted for me. So I rushed over to help to try and free him. What we hadn't counted on was the bars of the cage being heavily laced with vervain. No matter how strong I was, even with Enzo's help, I couldn't open the cage. The vervain burned too much." Damon's eyes dropped as he started the final part of his story.

"By this point the fire was out of control. If I'd have stayed, I'd either have been caught, or died in the fire." he explained. "I couldn't help Enzo. It was a lost cause. Then I realized this was my one and only chance to escape." he said.

"So you took it." Stefan spat as Damon nodded.

"And I knew if I was going to save myself, that I had to stop caring about Enzo. So I turned off my emotions." Damon swallowed. "I left my friend to die." he closed his eyes for a moment. "After that, everything was fine." he thoughtfully, as if staring into space. "Everything was just fine."

"Which is why you thought Enzo was dead." Ric asked, to which Damon simply nodded in reply.

"And that is why you turned off your humanity for so long." Stefan said as Damon nodded once more. "It explains a lot."

"Now I understand why you did what you did." Elena said to Damon. "You know, what you told me earlier." she smiled sadly.

"And that means we are going to be dealing with one extremely pissed off vampire." Caroline sighed.

"So how the hell did he survive?" Bonnie frowned.

"Now that is the million dollar question." Damon shrugged. "I should have realized there was a chance Enzo was alive when I found out about Grayson being a member of the Augustine's. But as he was testing on Enzo in 1999, so he obviously did survive." he sighed. "He's going to want revenge on the remaining Whitmores, the Augustines and anyone tied to them, including Elena, Jeremy and the baby. I also expect he's going to want revenge on me too." he added. "So I'm going to ask the question once more, are you all sure you want to save him?"

"We owe it to him." Elena told him. "You owe it to him for leaving him." she told Damon. "Stefan owes it to him for not realizing you were missing and not attempting to rescue you, even if there was no way he could ever know. Right now, Enzo doesn't know that." she continued. "Jer and I owe it to him for what dad put him through. We have a responsibility to help him, no matter what it takes. Then maybe one day he'll forgive us." she said.

"So that's one vote for the save Enzo mission. Anyone else?" Damon asked.

"I'm in." Caroline stated immediately.

"Me too." Bonnie agreed.

"You're going to need the muscle power of an unkillable Original." Ric smiled.

"Elena's right." Stefan nodded. "He needs our help. I guess if I can't put it right with you, helping your friend is the next best thing."

"So that's a unanimous agreement to save Enzo." Damon announced. "So are we happy with the Quarterback being Scooby's little human helper?" he asked.

"Matt's better with a gun than Jer. And Jer has school, so my vote would go with Matt." Elena said. "That's if he'd want to do it." she said.

"He's safer than Jer because he can wear the Gilbert ring." Bonnie agreed.

"I'll compel his boss to let him have the day off." Caroline suggested. "But we might need to pay him for his lost earnings." she said.

"Easy done." Damon smiled.

"I'll go call him." Caroline got up and walked off into the kitchen to call Matt to see if he would help them rescue Enzo.

Damon turned to Bonnie. "Remember that magical rope trick you did on the island?" he asked. "The one where you spelled a rope so the person tied up would do exactly what whoever was holding the rope wanted them to do."

"Yeah." Bonnie replied.

"I think we might need some more of that rope." Damon nodded.

"Anything else?" Bonnie asked.

"Can you magically unpick locks?" Damon asked. "Just in case they're of the vervain digital type." he said. "I'm expecting them to have updated the security technology since I was down there." he sighed.

"I'm sure I can find something." Bonnie smiled.

"What do you want me to do?" Elena asked.

"I haven't gotten that far into the plan yet. Other than shooting, being strong, and doing magic, who's doing whatever else, needs to be finalized, lets just concentrate on stage one first." Damon frowned.

Stage one?" Elena asked.

"Stage one is see how many people can get invited into Whitmore house." Damon told her. "This is not an overnight rescue mission. It may take a couple of weeks. But the sooner everyone is in, the better." he said turning to Elena. "But I really don't want you in there. I have a better idea." he said.

"Are you intending to leave me behind because I'm pregnant?" Elena asked indignantly.

"No Elena, but I'm going to be in the cell." Damon told her. "If you see that, you're going to get all angry and protective which might push the baby into overdrive. And we don't know how the baby will respond." he said. "I'd prefer a stealthier approach. But it doesn't mean we can't use our connection from a distance." Damon smiled. "I have an idea which might require working on, one which unfortunately Judgy doesn't like." he grimaced.

"What's that?" Bonnie asked.

"Simultaneous feeding." Damon said to Bonnie. "Make sure we're all psychically linked. But this time we use it wisely." he said as Bonnie winced.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

"I'm talking about us having a bona fida psychic walkie talkie link between me, Elena and Sabrina." Damon explained. "I get in there and tell you what you need to know and expect when you get there." he explained. "That way we can have someone stalling Dr Maxfield, or whoever is doing the research, while everyone else is rescuing me and Enzo." he said.

Caroline returned to the room. "Matt's in." she said. "Although I don't think Jeremy was too happy to find out we chose Matt over him." she said.

"It's one of the pitfalls of being a hunter." Damon sighed. "The Gilbert ring doesn't work, ergo you are not invited to the party." he grinned. "So, are we all set for the first part of the plan?" he asked. "Get to know the Whitmores and Dr Wes Maxfield."

Two days later Elena was in the kitchen drinking coffee, waiting for Stefan. Damon had tasked Ric and Caroline with getting involved with committees to try and infiltrate their way into the Augustine Society, although he knew it was a long shot. Because of this, Damon felt completely useless when it came to keeping their vampire secret a secret. At this rate he was considering enrolling for college himself, just to get to know this creepy professor.

As Stefan walked into the kitchen, Elena handed him a cup of coffee and a sheet of paper.

"What's this?" Stefan frowned.

"I switched our classes around, so that we could meet Dr Maxfield." Elena told him. "He's now our Applied Microbiology professor." she grinned.

"Applied...what?" Stefan frowned. "Um, Elena, I'm supposed to be taking Intro to Communication Technology. Not Applied Microbiology." he added as Damon laughed.

"You're not going to be an Anything major if we get exposed as vampires!" Elena told him. "The way Damon kept his secret in Mystic Falls was because he infiltrated the Founders Council. Right Damon?" she asked as she turned to Damon for back up.

"Time to re-shape the hero hair brother." Damon smirked. "It's your turn to be me." he added, taking Elena's empty cup from her and placing it in the dishwasher.

"You ready?" Elena asked Stefan, who nodded as Damon kissed her before she and Stefan set off for college.

Stefan and Elena walked into the lecture hall for Dr. Maxfield's class. On the way to their seats, Elena noticed Jesse, the guy who had the hots for Caroline.

"Hey. Where's Blow-Off Girl." Jesse asked before frowning at Stefan and Elena.

"Caroline isn't in this class." Elena replied.

"Wait, aren't you a freshman?" Jesse asked Elena, ignoring Stefan. "How are you in this class?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"She's with me." Stefan added. "Applied Microbiology...It's, like, um." Stefan started, but tailed off at the expression of doubt on Jesse's face.

"Are you going to the bonfire tonight?" Jesse asked, changing the topic. "Or more importantly is your hot friend going tonight?"

"Oh she'll be there." Elena grinned, wondering if Stefan might get jealous of the attention being paid to Caroline.

"As long as she doesn't get really close and then turns around and leaves again?" Jesse said.

"Don't worry, she won't." Elena insisted.

"Sweet. We'll hang." Jesse grinned as Elena gave him a thumbs up while Stefan pushed her away to a few rows back, preparing to hide from Dr. Maxfield.

"What?" Elena asked innocently. "He's into Caroline. He's cute, he's interested, and most importantly, unlike Tyler, he's here." she added as Stefan wordlessly narrowed his eyes at Elena. Just at that moment, a blonde-haired man walked into the lecture hall with a confident stride.

"Morning, everyone." Dr. Maxfield's voice resonated around the room. "I'm Dr. Maxfield. First name is Wes, but call me Dr. Maxfield. One day, when you're out of med school, you'll understand." he told them arrogantly. "So, you're all going to this bonfire tonight, right? Well, here's a quick history lesson for you. Whitmore was founded as a hospital during the Civil War. Deadliest war in American history...over 600,000 casualties. Disease was so prevalent that once a week, they had to gather all the dead, rotting bodies, put them in a pile, and light the whole thing on fire. So tonight, when you're getting drunk and partying, stop for a second, close your eyes, and imagine the rancid smell of a hundred rotting corpses." he smiled.

"This guy is creepy." Stefan whispered to Elena.

"Damon was right, even without meeting him." Elena giggled.

"Which brings us to microbiology..." Dr. Maxfield continued. "...because that rancid smell comes from a very specific bacteria. Isn't that right, chatty boy and girl in the back?" Elena and Stefan stopped smiling and turned to face Dr. Maxfield. "And what is that bacteria?" he asked.

"Uh, that's the, um...um...I don't know." Elena admitted.

"Maybe because you are freshmen, who shouldn't be in this class." Dr. Maxfield said dryly. "How do I know? I'm observant...a skill you'll learn in Bio 101, down the hall." he snapped before pointing to the door, as Stefan and Elena stood up from their seats and promptly left the room.

As soon as they left the room Elena made her way to Caroline and Bonnie's dorm to call Damon to let him know how it had gone. In the meantime, Stefan had decided to attend his Intro to Communication Technology, hoping he wouldn't be too late. Fortunately having vamp-speed meant he would only be a couple of minutes late at the most. Damon picked up his phone as soon as Elena pressed his speed dial.

"Morning sexy, could resist five minutes without me? Or has Stefan bored you to death talking about his hero hair?" Damon asked jokingly.

"Damon!" Elena chided. "We were kicked out within two minutes." she told him.

"That has to be a record." Damon laughed. "What happened?" he asked.

"He knew we were freshman the moment he saw us." Elena said. "So he asked us a question about some bacteria which causes a rancid smell from rotting corpses." she explained.

"Which I'm guessing you didn't know the answer to." Damon sighed. "So what happened after he caught you out?" he asked, clearly trying to control his laughter.

"It was mortifying. We just sat there in silence." Elena grimaced at the memory.

"You want me to beat him up?" Damon offered.

"Not yet." Elena replied. "Whatever he knows, I'm gonna try and get it out of him my way." she said.

"Did you compel him?" Damon asked.

"No, there's no point, because chances are, if he signed the death certificate, then he knows about vampires, which also means he knows about vervain." Elena said. "The chances are he'll be full of it. He might even be the one who was supplying Megan." she suggested.

"Maybe." Damon said thoughtfully, before changing the subject back to getting information out of Dr. Maxfield. "How about violence? Did you threaten him?" he suggested.

"No, I didn't threaten him." Elena shook her head.

"Would you at least tell me you used torture?" he asked.

"Damon!" Elena chided him.

"You do realize that you are dating a reformed serial killer, right?" Damon insisted, causing Elena to laugh.

"What would a hero do?" Elena asked.

"Pfft, that, I have no idea." Damon replied. "I've never been a hero." he said.

"You're my hero." Elena said shyly.

"Shh. Don't say things like that." Damon whispered. "I have a reputation of absolute evil to uphold. Even if I don't actually torture or kill, my reputation should hopefully be enough to make people fear me." he told her.

"So, oh evil one." Elena joked. "What is plan B of your evil master plan to get me into Whitemore house?" she asked.

"Use your feminine charms?" Damon joked.

"Seriously?" Elena asked.

"Fine, hang around, see if he knows who you are. That should be an ice-breaker." Damon suggested.

"And if that doesn't work?" Elena asked.

"Then we resort to plan C." Damon told her.

"Which is?" Elena sighed, dreading the next answer.

"We kidnap and torture him, bleed him dry of vervain and compel him to let all of us into Whitmore house." he replied triumphantly.

"Damon!" Elena shook her head.

"Well, if you don't want to resort to plan C, you need to make a start on plan B." Damon told her.

"Fine, I'll get on it." Elena sighed, when she suddenly remembered Jesse inviting her to the bonfire. "While we were waiting for Dr. Maxfield, we bumped into this guy who has the hots for Caroline." she told him. "He invited us to a bonfire tonight. In front of Stefan. So I told him we'd be there, including and especially Caroline."

"And how did Stefan take it?" Damon asked.

"I couldn't tell." Elena frowned. "Caroline's not into Jesse, well not as far as I can tell. But Stefan doesn't know that." she smiled.

"You think jealousy might give him a little push?" Damon asked.

"It can't hurt can it?" Elena replied.

"Let's go to the party tonight and find out." Damon replied.

"Look, I've got to go." Elena sighed. "Occult studies, and I doubt Ric will be able to show favoritism and let me off being late." she told him.

"Okay, I love you. See you later." Damon said.

"I love you too. See you when I get home." she replied as they both hung up.

  
  


 

 


	53. Chapter 53

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Elena had just finished her Occult studies class with Ric who was trying to discover who the undercover Gemini witches were. Fortunately for Ric, he wouldn't have to work too hard to get an invite into Whitmore House as there had been a staff meeting there that morning and the owner of the house, had inadvertently asked him. That meant they just needed to get Elena, Caroline and Stefan an invite onto the property as Damon intended to be invited in via a different method.

Elena was on her way to Caroline and Bonnie's dorm, where she was also due to meet Damon and Stefan to meet up for the bonfire, when she noticed a guy knelt at the ever growing shrine to Megan. Wondering if he knew Megan, Elena walked over to him and decided to try to find out who he was. Confirming her suspicions, he sighed at the memorial as she approached

"Hey." Elena said to him.

"Hey." the guy replied, not turning to look at Elena, instead continuing to stare at the memorial.

"I'm Elena." Elena introduced herself. Megan used to be my roommate. Did you know her?" she asked.

"We knew each other growing up." he told her.

"Oh, wow. I'm sorry." Elena winced, realizing this might be the one other person who Megan had claimed to know on campus, which according to Megan's phone, just happened to be Aaron Whitmore. But Elena knew she needed to play ignorant of that fact, and get him to introduce himself.

Still seemingly ignoring her, the guy, who Elena believed to be Aaron, grabbed an old wilted flower from the shrine and stood up.

"Pretty sad memorial, huh?" Aaron said sadly. "Guess it's not exactly cool to mourn during fall rush." he huffed.

"Everyone mourns differently. Some do flowers. Others do what their loved ones would've wanted." Elena sighed wistfully.

"Yeah. Well, what Megan would have wanted was to still be here alive." Aaron said through gritted teeth.

"They said she committed suicide." Elena frowned.

"Yeah. I know. That's what they said." Aaron replied sarcastically, however he didn't venture any other suggestions.

"So then, what do you think happened?" Elena asked curiously as he picked his bag up from the floor.

"Yeah. If you care about her, get her sunflowers." Aaron told her. "She liked those." he nodded as he rudely turned around and walked away.

"Hey, do you have a name?" Elena called out to him, hoping he'd confirm her suspicions.

"Yeah. I do." Aaron said, once again refusing to divulge any further information as he kept walking away.

Elena sighed and shrugged. She needed to know if that guy was Aaron, because if it was, she would try and find a way to get to know him, meaning she'd get an invite into Whitmore House. If Elena was in the house, she stood a better chance of helping rescue Enzo. She figured if she was directly involved in the rescue mission and Enzo knew that, there was less of a chance Enzo would want to enact revenge on those who helped him escape, and hopefully that would extend to the family of those who helped him. She just wanted to make sure the baby and Jeremy were safe.

Elena turned around and started back to the dorm when she heard a voice from behind her.

"I didn't think Elena Gilbert would give up so easily." Dr. Maxfield said, causing her to turn around.. "Sorry about being a hard-ass earlier. It's kind of my thing. You're Grayson Gilbert's daughter, aren't you?" he smiled apologetically.

"You knew my dad?" Elena asked, wide-eyed with fake surprise. Everything was falling into place regarding him being the potential Augustine researcher.

"Knew  _ of _ him." Dr. Maxfield corrected her. "He's a legend around here. Brilliant. I've studied all his research. I can only hope to do the kind of work he did." he said, a hint of admiration in his voice.

"So, does that mean that he forged death certificates, too?" Elena asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

"And here I thought you were just passionate about microbiology." Dr. Maxfield's face dropped. "I have office hours tomorrow. Come by, we can chat." he offered.

"Um, yeah, I would, but I've got other important things on my plate right now." Elena nodded as she realized she had an appointment with her obstetrician the next day.

"Let me know when that plate clears." Dr. Maxfield said as walked away, leaving Elena stood speechless in the same spot, for a moment before turning to quickly head for the dorm.

Damon and Elena had agreed to meet up at Caroline and Bonnie's dorm before heading of to the bonfire party. Elena had instructed him on which clothes and make-up to bring with him, so she could get ready there, while Stefan would arrive a little later. Damon had agreed to go for two reasons, the first to try and sort out the Stefan and Caroline issue. As far as Damon was concerned, they were perfect for each other, they just didn't know it as Caroline was still hung up on Tyler, or maybe even Klaus, if what Elena told him was true about Blondie sleeping with the evil hybrid. He and Elena, along with Bon Bon (Damon had decided to upgrade her name status to something more affectionate as they were going to be working together as psychic walkie talkies), had decided to split duties.

The girls were going to go together and he would wait behind for Stefan. Caroline, Elena and Bonnie would meet up with this Jesse guy and hopefully he and Caroline would flirt. Meanwhile he would turn up with Stefan who would hopefully get jealous and realize Caroline was the love of his life, and they could all live happily ever after. Although having Caroline as a potential sister-in-law would result in an eternity of misery for Damon from her insulting jibes, but he was prepared to put up with that to give his brother even a shred of happiness he currently enjoyed.

The second reason was to test the walkie talkie theory with Bon Bon. This he hadn't talked over with either her or Elena. He was going to suggest a double feed, maybe the Jesse guy would be a good start, and see if they could hear each other. If Elena felt uncomfortable with the guy Caroline was flirting with, then it would have to be some stranger. That way he and Elena could chat with Bon Bon to see how project Stefan and Caroline was going and maybe send suggestions from afar. In the meantime he hoped Stefan, Bonnie and Caroline could try and find out as much as possible from Jesse about Dr Maxfield, who happened to be one of his professors. As far as Damon was aware, Jesse was the closest link they had to the intense, creepy professor.

With a bag containing Elena's party wear, Damon walked into the dorm, knowing Bon Bon was still in her class, and the only people who could be in the dorm were Caroline, Stefan and Elena. As he'd seen all three naked at some point in their lives, he decided he wasn't seeing nothing he hadn't seen before, although granted Stefan had been two the last time he saw his brother without clothes.

Caroline had just gotten out of the shower and was looking at her reflection in the full wearing only a towel, when she heard the door open. She turned around, expecting to see Elena, but was stunned to find Damon stood there instead.

"Damon! Towel, knock!" Caroline shrieked.

"Caroline. No one cares, no." Damon shuddered dramatically. "Hey, where's Elena?" he asked.

"I don't know. She should be back by now." Caroline frowned. "Can you please turn around and not look." she snapped.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before remember?" Damon reminded Caroline smugly as she simply glared at him. "Fine." he sighed, as he sat on one of the beds with his back turned. "You do know it's rude to talk to someone with their back turned." he said.

"Who said we were talking?" Caroline said.

"Well it appears you might be our best link to Dr. Creepy." Damon told her. "The guy who has the hots for you was in the micro-whatever class today, which means you are on flirt duty." he said.

"Why me?" Caroline asked as she started to put her make-up on.

"Because A he has the hots for you, B you are single and C...what I said about both A and B." Damon told her, leaving out the other motive of making Stefan jealous, although Caroline didn't need to know that part.

Right at that moment the door suddenly opened and Elena stormed in, seemingly unperturbed by the fact her boyfriend was sat in the same room as her best friend who was practically naked. Elena knew Damon would never cheat on her, it wasn't in his nature. But even if it was, Caroline was the last person on the planet he'd cheat on her with. He'd rather gouge his his own eyes out than get involved in any romantic activity with Caroline. Not that he hated Caroline, but his feelings for her were more of a sibling-like relationship, except Caroline being a sister he didn't get on with.

"Megan's memorial outside is growing by the minute." Elena told them as Damon got up, walked over to Elena and kissed her.

"Ugh, college kids are so dramatic."Caroline sighed, squirming at the sight of Damon and Elena being so affectionate. "She was on campus for, like, one day. She couldn't have made that many friends." she snapped.

"Caroline, she's dead. You can stop competing with her." Elena said wearily. "And it looks like I might have found her one friend." she said.

"Aaron Whitmore?" Damon asked.

"Don't know." Elena shrugged. "He wouldn't tell me his name." she said.

"Didn't you try compelling him?" Damon frowned as Elena shook her head.

"I'm sure it's him though." Elena told them. "He said they grew up together."

"Well that's a start." Caroline shrugged. "Next time I suggest you compel him and ask him to invite all of us into Whitmore house." she snapped.

"Are you okay Caroline?" Elena frowned.

"Sorry, I'm in a mood." Caroline growled.

"You talked to Tyler." Elena guessed..

"He's deferring from enrolling and deferring from returning my phone calls." Caroline replied.

"Great." Damon grinned mischievously at Elena. "You can flirt without a guilty conscience with this Jefferey guy." he smirked.

"It's Jesse." Caroline snapped.

"Whatever." Damon sighed and shook his head.

"You know what else happened and why I'm late?" Elena said smugly. "Dr Maxfield asked me to visit him at his lab."

"I hope you said no." Damon frowned.

"Of course I did." Elena folded her arms. "We're going to see Jo tomorrow. Remember?" she said.

"It's all here in my planner." Damon smiled holding his phone up. "So what did Dr Frankenstein have to say?" he asked. "Did he admit to forging the death certificate?"

"No. but I think it's why he asked me to go to his lab tomorrow." Elena told them. "He also said he'd studied my dad's research."

"Bingo!" Damon chimed. "And Dr. Frankenstein reveals himself. Nobody goes near his lab unless you want to end up as a test subject." he said sternly as Bonnie opened the door and walked in.

"What's going on?" she frowned.

"Elena has found Aaron Whitmore, Dr Frankenstein has revealed himself and Blondie is on flirt duty." Damon told her. "Which brings me back to one of our little projects. I was thinking, wouldn't the bonfire party be a good place to start our little psychic link trials?" he asked. "Plenty of people who right now you don't know. Booze and dark woods. Easy to compel. Perfect conditions?" he looked to Elena and Bonnie. "So girls. Are you in?" he asked as Bonnie and Elena looked to each other before nodding reluctantly. "Good." Damon grinned. "I'm peckish."

Elena, Caroline and Bonnie left the dorm just before Stefan arrived, just like Damon planned. He, Elena and Bonnie had given Stefan the wrong time to meet them there, and Damon had offered to wait there for his brother. The plan was they would head off to the party, once Damon and Stefan got there, Damon would walk them around in circles, trying not to find the girls. All the while Damon had been secretly texting Elena to see if they'd found Jesse. Damon told her he was desperate to see her, as her meeting with Dr. Maxfield had gotten him worried that the doctor was onto her.

Once the girls had found Jesse, Elena text Damon to tell him they'd found him and where they were, meaning Damon could finally steer Stefan in the right direction of the girls location. She put her phone away and began to fill a cup with beer from a keg, however the tap got stuck, and even her vampire strength seemed to be failing her. Fortunately Jesse arrived to save the day.

"I got that." Jesse smiled as he finished filling her cup before handing it to her. "There's a knack to..." he started as he watched Elena drink the beer in one. "Whoa...uh..." he started as Elena shook her head grinning. "Where's your friends?" he asked changing the subject.

"Boyfriend drama." Elena lied. "Actually more like best friend ex boyfriend drama for Caroline." she corrected herself realizing she was trying to get Jesse to flirt with Caroline, and as Stefan was her ex, this version was more or less truthful. "They're about somewhere." she frowned as she heard Bonnie's voice. Elena turned around and waved over to Bonnie and Caroline who ran over to join her.

"Wow. Boyfriend drama, kicked out of class...today's not your day." Jesse laughed.

"What is his deal, anyway?" Elena asked, deciding Jesse might be a useful source of information other than to use to flirt with Caroline.

""Dr. Dickfield"?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, him." Elena replied as Bonnie and Caroline filled their cups with beer.

"Tell you what...help me grab some more firewood, and I will tell you everything you need to know." Jesse smiled.

"Do you mind if they join us?" Elena asked. "That way they can make an informed decision about micro-whatever in future." she grinned.

"Of course. This way." Jesse smiled as he led them to a well-lit shed, where Elena text Damon to let him know where they were.

"I had Dr. Maxfield for a few classes last year. He's a jerk, but he's brilliant, so I'll give him a pass." Jesse explained.

"Brilliant and creepy." Elena raised an eyebrow as Jesse grabbed a block of firewood with a sharp end and held it in front of him while he told them what he'd heard.

Jesse looked around furtively before lowering his head to Elena. "There's a rumor that he's...a part of this secret society on campus." he whispered.

"What, like middle-aged men at an elk lodge?" Elena asked.

"I have no idea. All I know is that a few times a week, they supposedly meet at Whitmore House. But you didn't hear that from me." Jesse shook his head.

"How many times?" Caroline compelled him while he was still holding the stick.

"I don't know." Jesse replied blankly.

Once Damon received the text to find out the girls had found Jesse and where they were, he started to lead Stefan in the general direction of where Elena had told him to go. He knew they weren't far as Elena had told him they were in a log store near the bonfire itself. While they were walking, they were discussing what Elena had told Damon about her conversation with Dr. Maxfield.

"Just because Dr. Maxfield signed the death certificate, doesn't mean he's the Augustine doctor?" Stefan said.

"What else could he be? The guy practically admitted it." Damon asked. "Meredith Fell signed the death certificates as animal attacks because she was part of the Founders council." he insisted. "Takes knowing one to spot one."

"I don't know. Maybe the police have something on him and are blackmailing him." Stefan suggested as Damon looked at him like he was an idiot. "Fine, it's suspicious. I agree."

"Gee, thanks, Stefan. Your hindsight is invaluable in this situation." Damon rolled his eyes causing him to bump into a guy who was taller and significantly more muscular than Damon.

"Watch where you're going, douche." the guy threatened Damon.

Damon wanted to laugh at the threat, knowing in their case, size didn't matter and he could kill the guy with one hand, instead he tried and alternate approach first. "Have you seen Elena Gilbert?" he asked.

"I have no idea who that is, and if I were her, I'd probably run from you, too." the student replied, riling Damon up.

"Wrong answer." Damon growled as he grabbed the guy by the throat, however Stefan managed to stop Damon.

"Forget all this and get out of here." Stefan compelled the guy, who walked away.

"You have to calm down." Stefan glared at Damon. "What is wrong with you?" he asked.

"Doctor Dick invited Elena to his lab." Damon said trying to calm down. "I think he's onto her. If he is, he could be onto you too, and possibly even Blondie. How are we going to manage to convince him you're not vampires?" he asked.

Stefan thought for a moment when he had an idea. "You said Elena thought she met Aaron." he said as Damon nodded. "We need to find him and see if he's on vervain. If not we can compel him to invite you, me, Elena and Caroline into Whitmore house while Dr. Maxfield is elsewhere giving a lecture." he started as Damon began to see where Stefan was going with his theory.

"Compel Aaron to forget he'd ever done it." Damon nodded. "And then what?" he frowned.

"Elena and I go and see Dr. Maxfield." Stefan told him. "We could explain we're on the Founders council at Mystic Falls. And when Elena saw the bite marks on Megan's neck, she knew what it was. Being on the Founders Council obviously makes us very nosy when it comes to vampire business. We could even ask him to call Liz." he suggested.

"And why bring me into it?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"You're head of the Founders council in Mystic Falls. He might want to say hello." Stefan suggested as they approached a log store, from where the voices of Elena, Bonnie, Caroline and the man Stefan recognized as Jesse from the Microbiology lecture.

"And he might want to test whether we're vampires or being nosy by arranging a meeting at Whitmore house." Damon nodded as a grin appeared on his face. "Little brother, you've been spending too much time in my presence. It's clearly rubbing off on you. You actually came up with a half decent plan for a change. Although I'm reluctant to let Elena go anywhere near Dr. Maxfield." he said as Damon and Stefan opened the door to the log shed only to see Caroline stood in front of a man who had what looked like a stake in his hand. Damon reacted instantly and hit the guy on the head, knocking him out.

"Damon? What the hell?" Elena cried.

Caroline crouched down next to Jesse on the floor and looked up to Damon. "Seriously Damon?" she frowned. "That's Jesse. I kind of liked him."

Elena grabbed hold of Damon and pulled him out of the cabin, followed by Bonnie and Stefan. "What the hell just happened?" she asked.

"That guy had a stake in his hand, I thought he was going to kill Blondie." Damon frowned.

"That guy is Jesse, the one who is flirting with Caroline." Elena put her hands on her hips.

"With a stake?" Damon frowned.

"We were collecting firewood. It's a log store." Elena shook her head.

"Sorry." Damon lowered his eyes. "I thought he was going to hurt you." he said. "Ever since you spoke to Dr. Maxfield, I've been worried he was onto you. How was I supposed to know that guy wasn't one of his little spies. I heard him telling you about the meetings." he said.

"Well he's not." Elena sighed, trying to think of a way to keep Damon away from Jesse and to calm him down at the same time. "Look I've got an idea. You and I will go feed for a moment. Then Stefan can keep you away and lets see if Bonnie and I can send some soothing calming signals your way." she smirked. "I've got an idea, I want to see if we can make you laugh."

"Fat chance." Stefan muttered.

"We'll leave Caroline with Jesse, who won't stake her." Elena glared at Damon. "We feed, Bonnie and I will go and chat with them while you two stay out of the way and drink beer, and be like a normal boyfriends." she suggested.

"Fine." Damon sighed.

"You think this is really a good idea?" Bonnie asked.

"It's a good start. We need to affect Damon's mood." Elena replied.

"Okay." Bonnie agreed. "You two go feed. Stefan and I will wait for you back here with beer." she said as Damon and Elena left to feed.

"Won't be long." Elena called out as she and Damon disappeared.

Jesse was awake and sat up, recovering from Damon's punch when Caroline returned with the only thing she could find which would take the bruising down from Jesse's face, a popsicle. She didn't want to feed him vampire blood without his permission, as her experience with her dad had made her more wary of doing that ever since.

"Sorry, this was all I could find out there." Caroline apologized showing him a frozen popsicle, which she held up against the ever growing bruise on Jesse's face. "Sorry my friend went aggro. He's got anger issues." she said.

"And a serious right-hook. But hey, it got us alone together, so that's a win." Jesse smiled causing Caroline to laugh shyly, lowering her eyes to the ground. Jesse lifted a hand and tenderly brushed her hair away from her face.

"I have a boyfriend." Caroline started as she pulled the popsicle away from Jesse's face and sat back.

"And where is he...other than not here?" Jesse asked, raising and eyebrow.

"Well, he was supposed to be here." Caroline told him. "He deferred a semester. You don't have to say anything, I know how these things go... people go to school and they drift apart." she sighed.

"Yeah, and sometimes they don't." Jesse said.

"Exactly. Sometimes they don't." Caroline agreed.

"And sometimes you change, but what you had still means something." Jesse nodded.

"Yes! Yes." Caroline said excitedly.

"And sometimes when you're thinking all those things, your girlfriend is moving on, and sleeping with somebody back home, and has no intention of getting back with you." Jesse sighed sadly.

"Oh, my god. Ugh. I am so sorry." Caroline put her hand over her mouth.

Jesse laughed quietly. "It was a while ago. And honestly, until the worst actually happened, I wouldn't listen to anybody telling me otherwise. I could always find an excuse. So, I get it." he smiled as Caroline smiled back before returning the popsicle to his cheek. "Hey, I'm gonna get another beer, you want one?" he asked

"Sure." Caroline replied as Jesse walked off to get them a drink. A moment later Bonnie and Elena returned and sat with her. "Has Damon calmed down from being Damon yet?" she asked.

"Stefan's talking to him." Bonnie nodded.

"What was wrong with him?" Caroline asked.

"When he saw Jesse standing in front of you with what looked like a stake, he thought Jesse was going to attack us all and got...protective." Elena started.

"Sending the baby into overdrive and making Damon go postal." Caroline sighed. "Wonderful." she shook her head.

"I should've done a magic drain from the baby this morning but we forgot." Bonnie admitted.

"I guess the feeding session is off." Caroline shrugged.

"Actually no." Bonnie told her. "Damon and Elena just had a quick feed. Damon should be fine in a moment. Instead Elena and I are trying to stay calm, see if we can try the use the psychic link on Damon from here. Which brings me to a question." she smirked.

"Go on Bonnie Bennett." Caroline sighed.

"Well in order to try with the psychic link. We need something that is likely to bring out a strong feeling." Bonnie explained. "Clearly something calming, soothing or funny." she continued. "So, Elena and I were wanting to know if our suspicions about graduation were true." she smiled.

"What suspicions." Caroline looked at them furtively.

"Umm...You and Klaus." Elena whispered. "You never turned up at the house, or anywhere after the ceremony. And you had the biggest grin on your face the next day. Come on Caroline, spill, we won't judge. I promise." she said.

"Elena dates Damon, she is exempt from being judgy." Bonnie assured Caroline.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Fine. I slept with him." she lowered her eyes.

"Oh my god!" Elena laughed.

"You didn't." Bonnie smirked. "Was it good?" she asked. "Was he the benchmark level you two share?" she asked, meaning Damon.

Caroline frowned. "I guess Klaus is more of a warrior than a lover." she shrugged.

"Klaus!?" came Tyler's voice from behind as all three swung around to see Tyler behind them, his face a mixture of hurt, anger and disgust. "You slept with Klaus?" he asked as he turned around and stormed off. Caroline got up and ran after him.

Just a moment after they left, Stefan and Damon arrived.

"What just happened?" Stefan asked.

"Tyler turned up." Elena said nervously.

"And overheard us talking about graduation, and what happened between Caroline and Klaus." Bonnie lowered her head, deciding not to expand on what had been said..

"We need to find them." Elena got up. "He's angry, and if he gets out of control, we're going to need Klaus's blood, and who knows where that will lead." she said.

"You two stay here, we'll go look for them." Stefan agreed.

"They went that way." Bonnie pointed in the direction they'd gone. And with that, Stefan and Damon disappeared at vamp-speed.

Tyler had found an empty log store to stop. Caroline and been following him, she needed to explain, although she wasn't exactly sure what she could say to make things right. It wasn't as if she and Tyler were a couple at the time.

"Get out." Tyler shouted.

"Just let me explain." Caroline begged sheepishly.

"No. Let me." Tyler snapped. "Klaus killed thousands of people; Elena's aunt, an entire pack of hybrids - my friends- Caroline, he killed my mom." he said. He was so angry he snapped a piece of wood next to him, which Caroline jumped at the sight of. But she knew Tyler would never hurt her, he just needed to listen to her.

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry." Caroline whispered as she gradually inched towards Tyler.

"Just stop." Tyler bellowed. "I walked out last time because it was the right thing to do. Because I was on the run from Klaus and I was worried he might hurt you. Did you bargain my freedom by sleeping with him?" he asked.

"No." Caroline shook her head.

"So he slept you either for revenge on me, or because he had the hots for you, or both." Tyler looked at Caroline in disgust. "You fucked him Caroline. You fucked the man who destroyed my life. You, the woman I loved..." he started.

"I thought we were broken up." Caroline cried.

"Does it matter?" Tyler frowned. "If you'd thought about why we broke up, you'd have still cared enough not to fuck him. Or is it because you actually have feelings for him?" he asked as Caroline's eyes dropped. "You do don't you? How Caroline? He's a fucking monster. He's tried to kill all of us, including you, and he's succeeded with some, including my mother. MY MOTHER CAROLINE!" he shouted. "If you'd have had even the smallest amount of love for me, you wouldn't have done it. So it leaves me to wonder what I actually meant to you huh? Am I a notch of the Caroline Forbes belt of conquests huh?" Caroline closed her eyes and sighed with despair. "Let's see if I've got this right. You've screwed Matt, me, Damon Salvatore and now Klaus Mikaelson." he continued as Damon and Stefan approached silently approached from behind. "So who was that gold standard you were talking about? I'm guessing it was the guy who treat you like shit. Would you be fucking him again if he wasn't already hooked up with Elena, or are you waiting for Stefan?" he snarled at Caroline who was, by this point crying.

"Tyler..." she sobbed.

"Now go Caroline." Tyler growled. "I came back for you. Now I can't even look at you."

"No, Tyler, please." Caroline hiccuped as she took another step towards Tyler.

"Don't take another step, Caroline." Tyler warned her.

"We were just..." Caroline started.

"I said LEAVE!" Tyler bellowed, as he began to wolf out, which finally forced Caroline to take a step back, when suddenly Stefan swooped in from seemingly out of nowhere, grabbed Tyler and pushed him up against the wall.

"You're drunk." Stefan warned.

"No I'm not, I'm angry." Tyler shouted. "Now get your hands off me." he cried as he fought against Stefan, however Damon helped his brother stop Tyler from doing something they knew he'd regret.

"What's the matter with you?" Stefan cried, confused by Tyler's behavior.

"You don't know?" Tyler scowled. "She screwed Klaus." he said looking up and down at Caroline as if she were a piece of dirt. "She's a fucking slut!"

Stefan looked at Caroline in shock at the news, not sure whether to believe what Tyler had said until she practically confirmed it by putting her hands on her head and leaving the log store in apparent shame. Stefan then turned back to Tyler and punched him in the face.

"You know, drunk or not, she doesn't deserve that." Stefan snarled as he turned his back to Tyler, who stood there mortified..

"Go Stefan!" Damon smiled proudly as he clapped his hand around Stefan's shoulder.

"I'll go find Caroline." Stefan told Damon quietly.

"I'll go back to Elena and Bon Bon." Damon smiled, knowing they'd be interested in the turn of events. Caroline had brought out Stefan's hero hair, maybe if he had to play her knight in shining armor they might get a little more cozy. They just needed the feed to work, and then maybe the night wasn't going to be a complete waste of time after all.

  
  


 

 


	54. Chapter 54

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

A doorbell like ringing noise woke Matt from his sleep. He picked up his phone and saw the time was 03:12, groaning he turned back over thinking he must have been dreaming, when suddenly he heard the noise again. This time he was more awake as he recognized the sound of the doorbell.

"Who's that a this time of night." he muttered to himself as he got out of bed and pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

He switched the lights on, headed downstairs and opened the door only to find a very drunk looking Tyler.

"What the hell?" Matt frowned.

"You need to invite me in." Tyler slurred.

"Oh yeah...Come in." Matt remembered as Tyler stumbled in through the door, clearly very drunk. "Okay, let's get you inside." he said helping his friend into the living room and sitting him down on the couch. "What's so bad it's gotten you into the state." he frowned.

"Caroline." Tyler complained.

"What's she done know." Matt sighed.

"She fucked Klaus." Tyler sneered as Matt looked at him in shock.

"Seriously?" Matt asked.

"Yup. She was even bragging about it to Elena and Bonnie." Tyler told him. "On the plus side, it appears he didn't measure up as high as her ultimate sex god, who she claims to hate." he curled his lips in disgust.

"Who?" Matt frowned.

"Damon fucking Salvatore." Tyler complained. "It seems the girls have a rating system of how good a guy is in bed. And lets just say I don't think you and me measure up." he told him. "She slept with Klaus." he complained, changing the subject.

"You know what I think?" Matt asked as Tyler raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I think you should get some sleep, sober up and then we talk about it in the morning with a clear head." he said.

"But I'm supposed to be in class tomorrow." Tyler complained.

"I thought you deferred a semester." Matt narrowed his eyes.

"It was meant as a surprise for Caroline." Tyler sighed. "Except I was the one who got the surprise." he said sadly.

"College can wait one more day." Matt told him. "We'll talk about it tomorrow." he tried to get Tyler to stand up, but to no avail.

"Why would she cheat on me, with that bastard of all people?" Tyler snapped.

"No offense Ty, but you did kind of dump her." Matt shook his head. "I'm not defending her, but she's single." he said.

"Yeah, but Klaus killed my mom." Tyler moaned. "And you know what? Stefan Salvatore had the nerve to punch me. Is she sleeping with him too?" he asked as Matt shifted uncomfortably. He knew Damon, Elena and Bonnie were trying to get Caroline and Stefan together, but he couldn't tell Tyler that. At least not until he'd spoken to them.

"Not as far as I know." Matt shook his head, deciding to give up on getting a reluctant hybrid to stand up. Instead he covered Tyler in the throw from the couch. "Look, tomorrow is Friday. Why don't you sleep off the alcohol, and we can talk about it then. We'll get you moved into your dorm over the weekend and you can start college on Monday." he suggested.

"You think I should still go to college?" Tyler asked.

"There will be plenty of hot chicks around once you're over Caroline. What better place to be?" Matt smiled, hoping it would cheer Tyler up.

"You're a good friend Matt." Tyler smiled sleepily as he put his head down on the arm rest. "You'll make a good husband one day." he yawned before falling asleep.

"Goodnight Tyler." Matt sighed as he switched off the lights and headed back up to his room and back to bed.

The next morning Damon and Elena were up earlier than usual. Elena had an appointment to see their supernatural obstetrician Jo Laughlin, who was also a member of the Gemini Coven, although apparently she wasn't a practicing witch. Instead she had a different supernatural role, that of a doctor to those of the non-human, human variety. Before they set off Elena had had a text from Jeremy telling her Tyler had turned up at the Lockwood mansion the night before, extremely drunk. Apparently he was going to surprise Caroline by starting college, and even had a dorm ready. Matt had persuaded Tyler to move in over the weekend and start college on Monday after he'd sobered up. She and Damon just hoped him coming back wouldn't put a kink in their Stefan and Caroline plan, as they could now see how wrong Tyler was for Caroline. If he lost his temper he could accidentally kill her, and Elena wasn't going to let that happen. But that concern was for another time as they made their way to Jo's room and sat outside, waiting to be called in.

"Damon, Elena." Jo's head popped out of her door and she smiled. "Do you want to come in?" she asked as Damon and Elena got up and entered her office.

While Damon and Elena were at the hospital, Caroline and Bonnie had a little mission of their own. To seek out Aaron Whitmore. As Elena had seen someone who she believed to be him the day before at the memorial, they had wondered if he had left something behind, like a card. As the gift was to a dead person, it would be still viewed as his, meaning if Bonnie could get her hands on it, she'd be able to do a locator spell.

To make sure it didn't look like they were potentially thieving from a dead girls shrine, Caroline and Bonnie took sunflowers. Elena had told them, according to Aaron, they were apparently Megan's favorites. When they arrived at the shrine, they knelt down and made it look like they were tidying it up so they could put the fresh flowers down while actually looking for something which Aaron might have left.

"How will we know?" Caroline asked.

"Elena said he told her she like sunflowers." Bonnie sighed. "There are no sunflowers here, which means he must have left something more personal. Like a card or a bear." she said.

"Isn't there a law or something about stealing from a dead person's shrine?" Caroline asked uncomfortably.

"Don't know." Bonnie shrugged. "Probably."

"I don't like this." Caroline started to arrange the flowers while Bonnie looked through the cards. "What if she comes back to haunt us?" she whispered.

"She can't." Bonnie sighed. "She wasn't supernatural. She won't have gone to the other side." she assured Caroline.

"And you are absolutely sure humans can't haunt us from whatever their equivalent of the other side is?" Caroline asked nervously.

Bonnie sighed. "To become a ghost, you have to have supernatural powers in life. And even then only certain people, like Jeremy can see them." she said.

"And we know for certain she wasn't supernatural, and she won't haunt Jeremy." Caroline asked.

"We'll be fine." Bonnie rolled her eyes. Suddenly she noticed a little card, which she pulled out and read the message. "Bingo!" she grinned lifting it up. "It's from Aaron." she said quietly as she put the card in her purse.

"You really think this will work?" Caroline asked.

"It's only a locator spell." Bonnie shrugged. "We'll try it out when we get back to the dorm. If it works, we'll wait until Damon and Elena get back from the hospital so I can drain the baby's magic first. Then we do another locator spell and go find him." she said smugly.

"I'll text Stefan to see if he can meet us back at the dorm." Caroline said as she sent a text before putting her phone away. "Let's find Aaron." she said as they headed back off to their dorm.

Damon and Elena sat down in Jo's office while their doctor grabbed a few things she needed for their interview. Their file was a digital copy only and encrypted as magic still hadn't found a way into hacking, although it was just a matter of time. Jo was one of the first to combine a normal job with supernatural uses. She plugged their file into her computer and began to go through their previous notes in silence while Damon and Elena nervously sat holding hands. Eventually Jo looked at them and smiled.

"Did you bring the talisman?" Jo asked as Elena brought out porcelain crow and placed it on the desk.

"So are we doing another scan?" Elena asked.

"Not today." Jo shook her head. "This type of appointment isn't one a human would ever attend. I don't need to run normal tests on you like blood pressure. But because your baby is unique, we do have to find out where the magic is currently coming from." she explained.

"Is that why we couldn't drain the baby this morning?" Damon frowned.

Jo nodded as she looked at the sticker underneath the crow with the time and date of the baby being drained. "You haven't used any magic, other than the psychic link in the meantime?" she asked.

"No." Elena shook her head.

"Actually, we were going to ask about that." Damon frowned. "When we feed simultaneously, Bonnie can feel our bodily reactions to whatever Elena and I are doing." he said slowly, not wanting to embarrass Elena by telling Jo about the sex part.

"That's to be expected." Jo nodded.

"Is there anyway we can make the link stronger?" Elena asked.

"You mean reading minds?" Jo asked.

"Yep." Damon nodded. "It's just I want to make sure if I'm not there and Elena is in trouble, then Bonnie or Elena can send a more specific message." he said.

"Like a text?" Jo raised an eyebrow.

"Just in case our hands are tied." Elena replied.

Jo nodded knowingly. "I guess you might need it nearer the time, and it'll be a good idea to practice it." she said. "But warning, the link lasts twelve hours, and it is very powerful. You will feel and hear everything." she said as Damon and Elena looked at each other nervously. "That's right. Unless you want to inadvertently have a psychic threesome, you need to abstain from sex." she joked as Damon and Elena looked at each other furtively. "Oh my god." Jo laughed. "I guess that's how you found out how close the link already is." she said as Damon and Elena nodded. "Well, that was nothing. Bonnie will be able to not only feel the physical effects. If she closes her eyes, she'll get sound and visuals." she told them.

"Like a supernatural voyeurism?" Damon asked horrified.

"It's a consequence of the increased psychic link." Jo told them. "I'd only use it in emergencies if I were you." she said. "And I should warn you, as the pregnancy goes on, the more you'll be needing to have sex." she said.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"As you know, the baby is feeding from the power of the Travelers, Silas and the doppelgangers." Jo explained. "But because Damon is a vampire, the baby will try to feed from his magic too. If the baby did, it would kill him." she said.

"The baby won't kill Stefan will it?" Elena frowned.

"No." Jo shook her head. "The doppelgangers are the only ones who won't die." she said as Damon and Elena looked at each other with fear. "So, to ensure you don't die." Jo looked at Damon. "You two having sex fuels the baby's need for your magic. Even if it is only temporary." she said. "Instead of going through the bloodlines, it is going direct to the source, you could say."

"You say it's temporary?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Your libido's will tell you when the baby next needs to feed from Damon's magic, without hurting him" Jo told them. "And as the baby gets stronger, that need will only get more frequent." she said.

"How much more frequent?" Elena asked.

"It wasn't essential in the first two trimesters." Jo explained. "This only starts in the third trimester. In two weeks time. You'll initially find it might be every day. By the last month of the pregnancy it might be around every eight hours." she said. "I wouldn't worry too much, you'll be drawn to each other. Being apart will feel practically unbearable." she told them. "You won't be able to stop yourself from needing to find one another and you will kill anything in your path to be together." she said.

"Woah, that's pretty deep." Damon frowned. "But the Travelers placed a spell on us, we can't die." he shrugged.

"But the pull would be so great you'd move heaven and earth to be near each other." Jo stressed. "You will even kill your love ones if they try to separate you." she said.

"Is that why the Travelers tried to kidnap me?" Damon asked. "They knew Elena would kill anyone in her path, so she'd do anything they asked to get me back?"

"Yes." Jo nodded. "Although technically you can't die because of the protection spell, the baby would still drain you to a point of desiccation, and the only way to revive you would be by using the cure. So they psychic link with your witch it fine, but once you can't be apart for more than twelve hours, it won't be of much use to you. And there is no spell which can block it out I'm afraid." she sighed.

"How long have we got to do the spell?" Elena asked.

"It's not an exact science." Jo explained. "This is just an approximation. But I'd say it'll be in around three weeks from now, give or take. After that, I wouldn't recommend you use it." she said, as Damon and Elena realized the implications to Jo's words. They had less than three weeks to rescue Enzo.

"So how do we do it?" Damon asked.

"It requires a lot of blood sharing. Before and after the simultaneous feed." Jo explained. "You two will need to feed from each other first, then Bonnie will have to drink a vial of blood from both of you. Then you feed simultaneously, and again you blood share with each other, before feeding Bonnie your blood again." she said. "Is there a reason you want to do it?" she asked.

"It was because of what happened with the Traveler attack." Elena explained. "We've been wondering if there was any other way to communicate." she lied.

"It only works if it's premeditated." Jo told them. "Pointless in a random attack."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Damon frowned.

"We've been in touch with the spirits of the prophesy for two thousand years. They've given us a lot of knowledge which. The Bennett witches didn't find out about these little details as they didn't have the option of merging twins like we do." Jo smiled sadly. "That is our sacrificial offering and in return they give us knowledge. Once this is over, we'll never have to perform the sacrifice again. Thank god." she sighed.

"Why?" Elena asked.

"The merge takes place when the twins turn twenty two." Jo explained. "The next merge is due to happen next year. My younger brother and sister, who are twins, are due to turn twenty two next. As long as the baby survives, so do they. So as you can see, my interest in making sure this pregnancy goes to perfection is personal." she said.

"So note to self." Damon started. "No psychic links unless we are putting ourselves in mortal jeopardy within the next three weeks. After that psychic links are only allowed when Elena, Bonnie and I are feeling kinky." he joked.

"Something like that." Jo nodded.

"Why did you need the talisman? I thought you couldn't do magic." Elena asked, deciding to change the subject.

"I can't." Jo sighed. "But I'm still a witch and I can still command dark objects." she told them, as she got up and opened a large drawer which contained a bottle of what looked like blood, and an empty steel bowl. "I will put the talisman in the bowl and put the blood on my hand and take in the power of the baby. This should tell me who is fueling the magic." she explained. "The first drain is from the bloodlines of the doppelgangers. That would have been over after the first trimester. Then the baby sucks in the power of two thousand years of historic expression massacre's. Finally it would be the magic of Silas and the massacre's committed since you became pregnant. That takes place in the final week of pregnancy, which is why they need the baby aborted before then. The Travelers have a one week window when they are strong enough to perform the required magic to abort the baby." she said as she put the crow into the bowl. "Do you want to go lie on the bed?" she asked as Elena got up and lay down on the bed, while Damon followed.

"Is this some type of witchy baby scan?" he asked as Jo nodded.

"Take your necklace off and lift up your shirt?" Jo instructed Elena who did as she was told.

Jo opened the bottle of blood and rubbed some on the fingers before of both hands before walking over to Elena with the bowl and setting it down on a little table next to her.

"So, I'm just going to feel your stomach. This should tell me which Expression massacre the baby is feeding from right now." she smiled as she placed the fingers of one bloodied hand on Elena's stomach and touched the crow which was in the bowl with the other.

After a few moments the crow began to start to change color. It turned from black to orange, and lit up until it was glowing. Suddenly it appeared to melt into the bowl. Jo and Damon watched it until it had finished and looked at what remained of the crow. Inside the bowl was a date, written in what looked like black ink. It said June 1357.

"Is that the month the baby is sucking magic from?" Damon asked as Elena lifted her head and looked at the contents of the bowl.

"It is." Jo smiled as she picked up the bowl and headed over to the sink. She rinsed her hands, allowing the pink water to drop into the bowl before turning around and holding the porcelain crow up in front of them. "All evidence of the date is gone." she said, handing them the crow before sitting down and typing some notes into her computer.

"So is this the type of appointment we should expect every time we come to see you?" Elena asked, as she put her necklace on and pulled her shirt down, noticing the blood had completely disappeared from her stomach. She got up from the bed, and walked back over to Jo's desk with Damon and sat back down.

"Yes." Jo nodded. "We need a talisman to check how many more massacre's it has consumed. If you want to know the math it is sixteen thousand, three hundred, Expression massacre's, give or take a few months, plus the doppelganger bloodlines. It's pretty powerful." she smiled.

"Holy shit." Damon's jaw dropped. "Three nearly took out Bon Bon." he said.

"The baby will be able to handle that amount of power." Jo assured them. "Just introduce her gradually to each talisman as she gets older. She was designed to withstand and be able to control that amount of power without it hurting her." she smiled. "So, do you have any questions?" she asked as Damon and Elena shook their heads. "Great then. Ask my secretary Holly to make an appointment for you to seem me in two weeks time." she said, standing up and opening the door for them, as they got up and walked out, shaking her hand.

"Thanks doc." Damon nodded.

"Thank you Jo." Elena smiled.

"My pleasure." Jo replied. "See you in two weeks." she told them as the headed out to the car to digest what they'd just learned.

Bonnie and Caroline returned to their dorm, back from their trip to Megan's shrine, with Aaron's card where they found Stefan, sat waiting for them on Caroline's bed.

"I was already in the neighborhood." Stefan smiled, explaining how he'd made it to Bonnie and Caroline's dorm before they had.

"Good, that means we can get working on the spell straight away." Bonnie said. "Can you get the desk for me?" she asked as Stefan picked up the desk which was next to the fireplace while Caroline helped with the chair, and placed it in the middle of the room while Bonnie collected some candles.

Bonnie lit placed the candles on the desk.

" _Incendia_." Bonnie said quietly as the candles lit.

"I take it you are using spirit magic." Stefan asked as Bonnie nodded.

"The witches cleared my path to access it once again when they tried to cleanse me of Expression." she told them. "Instead I just ended up having access to both." she said sadly. "I'm not going to use Expression, I refuse to, and I haven't drained the baby for a few days. So spirit magic it is. Until Damon and Elena get back." she said. "Right I need to concentrate." she told them.

"Okay." Caroline said quietly as she and Stefan sat next to each other on the bed.

Bonnie closed her eyes and lay her hand on top of Aaron's card. " _Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras..._ " she chanted. " _Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras..._ " she said again as the flame of the candle burned higher. Bonnie screwed her eyes up as if trying to make out where she was before opening them again. "It worked. I know where he is." she told them.

"Where?" Caroline asked. "I'll text Elena, let them know. Maybe we can get our invite today." she smirked as she took her phone out.

Damon and Elena got into the car and just sat there for a moment trying to digest the information Jo had just given them. It had been one thing to be told this information at the start of the pregnancy, but every day they both felt a connection to the child and Elena was upset when she realized the magic feeding the child was fuelled by so much death. By the time they were sat down, tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Hey, it's not the baby's fault." Damon said softly. "The witches killed those people, the baby is the balance of nature taking the magic back, or whatever." he shook his head.

"I know that." Elena sniffed, but just think how many people in total. Multiply the amount of massacre's the baby is feeding from by twelve and then you have the amount of dead bodies contributed to feeding her." she said as Damon got his phone out and typed in the figures on the calculator.

"Do you want to know how many exactly?" he asked as Elena shook her head. "If it makes you feel any better, these people would already have been dead now anyway. I mean living six hundred and fifty something years is called having high expectations of a lifespan. Even for a vampire." he joked, trying to cheer Elena up.

"I know." Elena sighed as Damon took her in his arms and held her, resting his cheek on her head.

"Miranda." Damon suddenly said.

"What?" Elena asked.

"Or Jenna." Damon offered. "Baby names. What are we going to call her?" he asked.

"Oh. We haven't gotten to that yet." she frowned. "I was going to get a book..." she started.

"We don't need a book." Damon sighed.

"What was your mom called?" Elena asked.

"Lily." Damon said sadly. "But like everyone else she preferred Stefan, so no not Lily." he told her.

"Pity, it's a pretty name." Elena said looking up at Damon. "And I'm guessing she was a very beautiful woman to have you for a son." she smiled.

"I've got her eyes." Damon told her.

"I really hope our little girl gets your eyes." Elena smiled. "That means I get to see even more of them." she smirked as Damon bent his head and kissed her, suddenly causing the heat to rise in the pit of Elena's stomach.

"I think someone is feeling a little bit frisky." Damon grinned as he kissed Elena passionately on the lips.

"I might be feeling frisky, but not here in the hospital parking lot." Elena whispered.

"Doesn't mean anyone will notice while I make you feel good." Damon growled as he unbuttoned her jeans and slipped his hand down the front. However before he reached her panties Elena's phone beeped, telling them she had a text.

"I better get that." she sighed as Damon removed his hand from her jeans, huffed, and sat back against the leather of the car seat.

"Caroline and Bonnie are doing the locator spell." Elena told them as she saw the message was from Caroline; Elena opened it and read it. "They got something." she grinned.

"What?" Damon frowned.

"A card, and the spell worked. He's at Whitmore house right now." Elena told him. "We've got to do this while we can." she sighed. "If we do the psychic link, we don't have long to rescue Enzo. We need to make the most of what we do have." she said.

"I guess you're right." Damon agreed. "Bon Bon and Blondie's dorm it is." he said, kissing Elena once more before turning the engine on and setting off towards campus.

Damon and Elena arrived at Bonnie and Caroline's dorm not long after they received the text from Caroline. As the college had originally been founded around the need for a hospital, the campus was only a fifteen minute drive away. When they arrived, they found Bonnie, Caroline and Stefan all waiting for them.

"Sorry we're late to the party." Damon smirked.

"Have you got something for the baby drain?" Bonnie asked.

"Here." Elena took out a cuddly toy which looked like a crow.

"Seriously?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"We decided September was going to be paternal representation." Damon told her.

"I didn't know you were a fan of Game of Thrones." Caroline raised and eyebrow. "Please tell me we can banish you to the wall and forget about you forever." she said sarcastically.

"Books were good, but a crappy cult TV show, it'll never take off." Damon shook his head. "If you must know a crow is my alter ego." he smirked.

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"Damon can do a couple of parlor tricks of his own." Stefan explained. "It's really rare for a vampire to be able to do it, but he can get into the minds of crow's and create fog." he told her.

"How?" Caroline frowned. "Can other vampires do that?"

"None that I know of." Damon shrugged.

"I didn't know about that." Bonnie narrowed her eyes at Damon. "Why did you never mention it before?" she asked.

Damon sighed. "Because it takes a helluva a lot of human blood, straight from the vein to perform these...parlor tricks." he said sarcastically. "I'm the good guy now, right. I don't take the amount of blood from humans needed to fuel that amount of power anymore."

Bonnie smirked. "Man, fog, crow." she said. "Explains a lot." she smirked.

"So are you intending to scare the baby?" Caroline asked.

"Crow's are highly intelligent creatures." Damon insisted. "There is nothing scary about a crow."

"Can we just cut the crap and get down to finding Aaron again?" Bonnie asked. "Elena, you know the drill." she said as Elena walked over to Bonnie and took her necklace off. She pulled her shirt up slightly while her bump grew to allow Bonnie to place her hand on her stomach. Bonnie picked up the toy crow and concentrated for a moment until she'd drained most of what was needed. "I've not done a full drain on the baby." she told them. "I want to use its magic for the locator spell." she said as she handed the crow back to Elena who put it back in her bag.

"What's next?" Damon asked.

"I juice up my power from the baby, and then we can do the locator spell. We find Aaron and then you compel him." she said.

"I'm all yours." Elena grinned as Bonnie placed both hands on Elena's stomach, which began to glow for a moment, before she took them off.

"You should be good for a few days before we drain the magic again." Bonnie said. "Did you mention the link to the doctor?" she asked as Damon and Elena looked at each other uncomfortably.

"We've got a three week time window, otherwise there are complications." Elena said.

"What happens after that?" Bonnie frowned.

"You will become a voyeur." Damon tried to hide his smile at Bonnie's reaction of horror.

"Can't you abstain for however long the link lasts?" Bonnie asked.

"We could but Damon will desiccate." Elena winced.

"Lack of sex will cause desiccation?" Caroline laughed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. The baby needs to connect with Damon's magic, and there are only two ways to do that." Elena sighed. "The link lasts for twelve hours. In about three weeks time, we'll be needing to well, you know..." she tailed off.

Caroline's burst out laughing while Damon and Elena glared at her. "It's not like you two need an excuse." she said. "You're already like rabbits."

"Can we talk about something else. Like the weather?" Stefan shifted uncomfortably. "Or even the spell?" he suggested.

"Fine!" Bonnie rolled her eyes. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can make plans to rescue Enzo." she said as she took the card once more and placed her hand on top of it. " _Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras..._ " she chanted. " _Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras..._ " she repeated as the flames of the candle rose higher once more. Bonjie concentrated had for a moment before opening her eyes. "He's still at Whitmore house." she said.

"Great." Damon grinned. "Let's compel us all an invite." he said.

  


 


	55. Chapter 55

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Ric was sat in his office grading papers when his cell rang. When he stared down at the caller ID and saw Damon's name appear, he sighed. Damon had warned him this call was coming and Ric wasn't looking forward to doing what he was going to do as he wasn't exactly an expert at compulsion. He'd tried it on Damon twice to practice and once on Jeremy. The reason it was going to be hard was due to him being against compulsion unless it was for a good purpose, and Ric sensed nothing good would come of rescuing Enzo, other than potentially getting found out as a vampire.

Ric picked up the phone and answered it. "Yeah!" he said flatly.

"We found Aaron." Damon's voice sounded practically chipper. "He's currently at Whitmore house right now, all ready to ask you to step over the threshold, compulsion free."

"You really think he'll invite me in?" Ric rubbed his forehead.

"You're one of the professors, of course he will." Damon replied.

"And why am I asking him to invite me in?" Ric asked.

"Lie, cheat, steal Ric." Damon said. "I dunno, make something up. Tell him you've come to talk about what's her name..." Damon started.

"Megan." Ric interrupted.

"Yeah her. Tell him you're part of the school paper and you found out he knew her, or something." Damon suggested.

"You're good at this you know." Ric shook his head.

"What's that?" Damon asked.

"Lying!" Ric snapped.

"When you've been a vampire for almost a hundred and fifty years, you'll find you're skills at lying will also be exceptional Ric, because in order to survive, you have no choice but to lie." Damon explained.

"And how does Elena feel about that?" Ric asked.

"Elena is a no lie zone." Damon told him smoothly. "She knows all of my deep and darkest secrets." he said.

"And she's still with you?" Ric laughed. "I just don't get what she sees in you."

"That's because you haven't had sex with me." Damon told him in a smug but matter of fact voice.

"Too much information." Ric shuddered. "Can we get back to the Aaron part?" he asked.

"Oh yes. Aaron Witless." Damon sighed. "If you head over there right now, we'll follow." he said.

"And nobody will think that is suspicious at all." Ric said sarcastically.

"Look, you just get in. Leave the rest to me!" Damon snapped as he hung up.

Ric arrived at Whitmore house feeling nervous. Unlike Damon, he wasn't practiced at lying, and he was not even sure he was happy compelling someone to let his friends into the house. As much as he trusted everyone else, he knew it wouldn't take much for one of his friends to kill the poor kid. Damon being pissed off at the Whitmore family, Stefan going on a ripper bender, or even himself. Right now he didn't even trust his own vampire side.

Ever since Ric had come back from the dead, he'd felt this insatiable hunger, which made him want to feed on every living person he met. He hadn't fed on anyone since the first few nights back, as he knew he could easily kill them, and none of his friends were strong enough to pull him back from the edge. Instead he survived on blood bags, which was fine when he was only around vampires and with people he knew. Being face to face with a human stranger in a one on one situation, was something he'd tried to avoid, as he was scared of the temptation. This was something he'd kept to himself as he didn't want to burden anyone with his problems. They had enough to deal with as it was.

So when he knocked on the door and it was opened by a young looking blonde haired guy, Ric almost wished Aaron wouldn't invite him in.

"Err...Can I help you?" Aaron asked.

"Aaron Whitmore?" Ric replied.

"Who's asking?" Aaron raised an eyebrow.

"My name is Professor Alaric Saltzman. I teach Occult Studies." Ric told him, holding out his college ID. "I was wondering if I could have a couple of minutes of your time."

"I'm Aaron." Aaron introduced himself reluctantly. "What's it about?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's about Megan King." Ric replied. "I believe she was a friend of yours." he said.

"Yeah I knew her." Aaron nodded.

"I know this um...might sound rude." Ric said nervously. "But I feel a little uncomfortable talking about this on your front porch." he frowned, hoping it would prompt Aaron to invite him in.

"Yeah I guess." Aaron nodded opening the door wider. "Come on inside." he said, much to Ric's relief.

Damon had ensured everyone was strategically placed to be able to see what happened at Whitmore house when Ric went to find Aaron. He was sat on the grass across the square with Elena, Stefan and Caroline, looking like normal students studying, apart from Damon who looked as if he was basking in the sunshine; when in fact he was keeping an eye on his phone, waiting for a text from Ric to say he was in and Aaron was compelled.

Five minutes after Ric had gone inside, Damon received at text saying Aaron was compelled was ready to invite them in. the chatter had already stopped and everyone looked at Damon expectantly, waiting to find out if the text was from Ric.

"We're good to go." Damon told them as they cleared their books away and stood up, brushing the grass from their clothes.

Damon kept an eye out for anyone who looked suspicious as they approached Whitmore house. They walked up the steps and knocked on the door. It was immediately opened by the blonde haired student Elena recognized from Megan's shrine.

"Damon Salvatore." Aaron said with a vacant expression on his face.

"That's me." Damon held his hand up and smiled.

"Please come in." Aaron said as Damon stepped over the threshold, testing it with his boot first.

"And that's just how easy it is." Damon grinned stepping inside the house and joining Ric.

"Elena Gilbert." Aaron looked blankly at the group. "Please come in."

"Okay." Elena replied walking straight into the house and next to Damon.

"Stefan Salvatore, please come in." Aaron offered as Stefan joined them in the hall. "Caroline Forbes, please come inside." he finished as Caroline stepped inside.

"No what?" Ric frowned as Aaron turned to look at the group in confusion.

"Why did I ask you to come in?" Aaron asked.

Damon took hold of Aaron's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Do you know Dr. Maxfield?" he asked.

"Yes." Aaron replied. "He's my guardian." he said as Damon turned to look at the rest of the group.

"Interesting." Damon sighed before turning back to Aaron. "Do you know anything about the Augustine society?" he asked.

"No." Aaron replied.

"Good, I think that might have just saved your life." Damon said quietly, earning him a glare from Elena. "Do you know if there are any meetings due here to be hosted by Dr. Maxfield?" he asked.

"There's one on Monday." Aaron told him.

"Great!" Damon grinned. "Now forget this ever happened. You didn't see us today and you never invited us in. You studied alone all afternoon." he told him.

"I studied alone all afternoon and I never saw any of you or remember inviting you in." Aaron said blankly.

"Well, thank you for your kind hospitality." Damon grinned. "Been nice not meeting you." he said opening the door and checking outside to see if anyone was around. When he was sure the coast was clear he turned to the others. "Let's go." he said as they left and headed back to Caroline and Bonnie's dorm.

When they all, except Ric who'd gone back to his office to continue grading papers, arrived back at the dorm, they found Bonnie alone. As she wasn't a vampire, she wouldn't need and invite, which was why she hadn't gone with them to visit Aaron. Bonnie was supposed to be studying, but instead she was sat staring at her phone at a text message she'd just received.

"What's wrong Bonnie?" Elena asked when she saw the expression of concern on Bonnie's face.

"Jer's not coming this weekend." Bonnie swallowed. "Tyler is back in Mystic Falls and he's in need of some male bonding time." she said.

"But I thought..." Elena stopped, she didn't know whether Caroline was aware Tyler was starting college again, or even if Matt had got it wrong. Jeremy wouldn't lie to Bonnie about this, so she assumed Tyler must have changed his mind. "Nothing she shook her head."

"Tyler is meant to be starting college on Monday." Caroline told Bonnie. "He's supposed to be moving in this weekend." she said.

"So why would Jer lie?" Bonnie asked.

"Maybe Tyler changed his mind?" Elena suggested.

"Maybe." Bonnie frowned.

"Maybe he's helping Lockwolf move in, but didn't want to say anything in case he was accused of taking his sides." Damon shrugged. "Or maybe he thought you might turn up with Blondie."

"Why would he take Tyler's side?" Elena frowned.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe because he hates Klaus?" Damon suggested as Caroline winced. "Hey I'm not judging Blondie." Damon assured her.

"That's comforting." Caroline sucked her cheeks in and folded her arms.

"But Little Gilbert does sometimes get a little judgy, and might have sided with his buddy." Damon said.

"Damon!" Elena frowned.

"He does!" Damon argued back. "Lockwolf is one of his friends, unlike Blondie. Little Gilbert also hates Klaus. Of course he's going to side with his buddy."

"So why lie to me?" Bonnie asked.

"Because you'll get all judgy about his judginess." Damon explained. "Guilt complex."

"But staying with Tyler is the same thing." Stefan said.

"No it's not." Caroline shook her head. "Damon's right. Being there for Tyler doesn't mean he has to agree with his predicament. Lying and pretending to be helping him with male bonding time if he's actually helping Tyler move in, is because he's siding with Tyler." she sighed.

"Well it's either that or he's screwing the wait staff at the grill." Damon shrugged. "Just hope he's doing it to avoid the conflict of Lockwolf interests."

"Tactful." Bonnie nodded as Elena glared at Damon.

"I think that might be my cue to go take Ric a bottle of bourbon to thank him for his hard work." Damon grimaced as Elena nodded. "Stefan, you coming with me?" he asked as Stefan tilted his head over to Caroline, who was struggling to hold back the tears.

"I think Caroline and I will go for a little walk." Stefan said.

"Fine, suit yourself." Damon shrugged before turning to Bonnie. "Well since the cat is away, I think the mouse should come out to play. Fancy some psychic bonding time later with me and Elena?" he asked saucily.

"I...I..." Bonnie's face fell.

"Damon, just go and see Ric." Elena told him wearily. "I'll deal with Bonnie and Stefan can look after Caroline." she said giving Damon a knowing stare as her eyes flashed over so quickly to Stefan and Caroline, that Damon barely registered the look, however he realized exactly what she meant.

"I'll go and help him grade papers." Damon shrugged. "I'm more qualified to teach Occult Studies than he is." he added as he went over to Elena and kissed her. "Text me when you're ready." he said.

"I will." Elena smiled as Damon left to go to see Ric.

"I'll take you over to mine." Stefan told Caroline as he stood up. "Damon has a better alcohol stash than you do here." he said as Caroline nodded, standing up.

"See you later." Caroline said to Elena and Bonnie who waved goodbye while she and Stefan headed back to Damon and Elena's house.

Elena waited to make sure everyone had left before turning to Bonnie and taking her hand. She took tissue from the box nearby and handed it to her friend. Dealing with Bonnie and Jeremy issues was usually Caroline's job as Elena wasn't deemed to be neutral. But on this occasion as it was Tyler related, Elena had inherited the job. Plus Caroline was still upset over Tyler.

"Maybe he's trying to protect your feelings." Elena sighed. "Do you agree with what Caroline did?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter whether I agree with what she did or not, she's my friend." Bonnie hiccuped.

"Exactly." Elena shrugged. "If Jer has sided with Tyler on this, he's not going to want to get stuck in the middle of it all." she said.

"I know that." Bonnie sighed. "But he didn't have to lie about it." she said sadly.

"Let me check." Elena said, getting her phone out of her pocket. "If Tyler is moving back, then we'll know Jer is lying."

"Who are you texting?" Bonnie asked.

"Matt." Elena smiled. "I'm sure he'll tell us whether Tyler is moving back or not." she smiled as she clicked send.

By the time Elena had gotten a reply from Matt, confirming Tyler was indeed moving back in over the weekend, Bonnie was feeling a little better. If Jeremy was helping Tyler, he was probably lying to make sure he didn't put Bonnie in an awkward situation. However, that didn't mean he was completely off the hook. It was decided, if Tyler really was moving in, Elena and Bonnie would do some snooping on Tyler and find out if Jeremy was there, although she hadn't decided whether to confront him or not. In the meantime, Elena had talked Bonnie into creating the psychic link that afternoon as they didn't have lectures to go to. Elena's suggestion was for Bonnie to get extremely drunk and to see how that affected Damon and Elena. With the prospect of giving Damon a hangover, even if only for a couple of hours, Bonnie agreed.

Elena called Stefan to tell him the three of them were going to try a psychic link and it would be better if they stayed away from the house for a while. He and Caroline agreed to come back to the dorm and maybe go out for the evening while they conducted their experiment to ensure Bonnie could learn without distraction.

Bonnie knew to prepare herself for what was to come. They'd spoken to Jo and discussed in more detail what Bonnie could expect to experience if they linked themselves together. Depending on how strong she was, and whether she had the right motivations, Bonnie could shut out almost all of the experiences except for one sensory reception. Jo told them she didn't know if this was a fixed sense or one of choice, however they they decided to take their chance.

As smell was one of the senses involved, they having figured sex while Bonnie was linked might not be entirely out of the question. Damon was even convinced sex would be a great motivation for Bonnie to learn control of the linked psychic senses. Jo had warned them the motivation needed to initially be extremely strong for Bonnie to learn how to block images, taste, sound, smell, thought, touch and being touched. Damon's suggested nothing would motivate Bonnie more to block out all senses except smell than Damon and Elena having fun while she worked on blocking the link, which they agreed was a fair assessment. Being able to hone in on what senses to block would be useful when rescuing Enzo as it would allow her to concentrate on the necessary senses involved instead of being overwhelmed by every vampire emotion and sense. Therefore Bonnie and Elena reluctantly agreed. They figured if Bonnie blocked out every sense except smell, which wouldn't be as obvious to her human nose as a vampire's sexual scent was slightly different to a human one, and Bonnie wouldn't recognize it, she would be fine to do whatever she wanted while Damon and Elena could indulge in their own activities. Damon and Elena also agreed, if Bonnie couldn't control the link and wanted them to stop, they would. Elena wanted to be clear Bonnie was consenting to what they were doing as it could result in her having another one of those magnificent orgasms she'd had in the club, except this time in private.

Bonnie agreed she was still on board with the idea as they wanted to know if the blocking could be a two way thing. They figured it could prove useful later in the pregnancy if Bonnie was able to hone in her skills with this type of magic. To get through this, Bonnie decided to perform some simple blocking spells to disconnect the psychic links one by one. Jo had warned them, the more overloaded Bonnie's senses became, the harder it would be to perform spells to block out the senses. Which was why sex was the most logical idea as Damon and Elena would initially take things slow, allowing Bonnie to individually block out each sense.

When it was agreed, they decided to make sure they fed and had Damon and Elena's house to themselves, where Bonnie would stay in her usual room in the opposite wing. There she would block everything out. When she received a text to let them know she was finished, Bonnie was going to get very drunk to see how it affected Damon and Elena. As vampires only ever got lightly buzzed, this was something Damon and Elena were definitely looking forward to, although the inevitable hangover wasn't. Fortunately, as soon as the twelve hours were up, Damon and Elena's hangover would disappear. Unfortunately, Bonnie's wouldn't, which was why she'd agreed to drink vampire blood once they felt better.

Once they'd performed the simultaneous feed and blood sharing, they all went back to the house. Bonnie took her iPod and a bottle of bourbon to bed with her, while Damon and Elena headed for their room. Bonnie closed her eyes and focused on all of her senses as she watched Damon and Elena walk into their bedroom.

The first sense Bonnie was determined to get rid of was sight. There was no way she wanted to watch her friend having sex with her boyfriend. Once they closed the door, Bonnie felt a surge of power as they rushed into each other's arms, which was crazy as she knew she wasn't inhabiting their bodies because she was watching them. When Damon and Elena's lips met, Bonnie felt it. She wondered it she was experiencing what Elena felt, possibly because of the connection to the baby or because she and Elena were of the same gender. What Bonnie felt and saw was the most wonderful kiss she'd ever experienced. Now she understood why Elena couldn't keep her hands off of Damon.

"Shut up Bonnie!" Bonnie heard Elena's thoughts, which she tried to block. This was a two way street and they would need to block out what she was thinking. Bonnie grabbed her grimoire to find a mind reading blocking spell. "Great idea." Elena told her as Bonnie concentrated on the spell which fortunately only required candles; which were in abundance in her bedroom.

As soon as the spell was cast, Bonnie felt the link disappear. The spell she'd cast should work both ways, meaning Damon and Elena wouldn't have a clue what she was thinking. Confident she could block out any sensory reception, Bonnie next wanted to focused on sight, however she realized there was a purpose to the endeavor, and she needed to feel connected to Damon too, and for that she'd need sight.

Instead, the next sense she focused on was sound. The less information she was getting, the better, but she had to retain the essential ones for the time being. Bonnie flicked through her grimoire and managed to adjust a blocking spell, to get rid of sound, which worked immediately. Next she focused on Damon, who was stroking Elena's cheek, when suddenly her fingers could feel Elena's skin even though her hands were empty. Bonnie focused on Elena once more, immediately distracted by how good it felt the way Damon was touching her. As she looked, she saw a man who she recognized to be Damon, but this wasn't the Damon Bonnie knew, this was the Damon Elena knew. Gone was the icy cold look in his piercing blue eyes. He looked at Elena with a warmth and love Bonnie couldn't fathom. His eyes were heavy with lust, but there was a gentleness Bonnie had never witnessed before. This was the man who was going to become a father and a husband, not the sarcastic vampire. In that moment Bonnie finally understood what Elena saw in Damon. And surprisingly, Damon was allowing Bonnie to see this side of him.

Bonnie was aware Damon was incredibly good looking, but his personality had this ability to make him very unattractive. It was also clear they had good sex, the entire household knew that. Bonnie herself had to a degree experienced some of it. Yet Bonnie had never seen inside their private little world. Only glimpses from what they showed to the world. Damon looked at Elena like no man had ever looked at her, or probably ever would. Bonnie wondered if it was a vampire thing, as apparently they had heightened emotions. For once in her life, Bonnie was beginning to question the pro's and cons of a vampire boyfriend over a human boyfriend.

She shook her head at this notion. Bonnie was with Jeremy, although he had put Tyler above her this weekend, but that was what friends did. Bonnie was trying to use distraction as a tool to block out the psychic link, but she realized quite quickly only magic could create the block, therefore she resorted back to her grimoires. She needed to focus on blocking the feel of Damon's hand on her skin, which wasn't as easy as she expected it would be, in fact she found out at that point she couldn't sever the tie.

Deciding to try eliminating another easier sense so she could focus on the harder ones, so she opted for taste. Sight, touch and experience were going to be the hardest, so getting rid of taste meant she would be able to concentrate on those spells a little better. Bonnie cast the spell and felt the link sever, like a ribbon being cut. Every time she experienced this, she felt more distant from them in some respects, but she then suddenly realized her problem, the remaining senses were becoming more intense. She should have cut the visuals and experience first. But she'd come to that soon.

Suddenly Bonnie was distracted by Elena removing Damon's shirt. Bonnie's jaw nearly dropped. Jeremy had a fantastic body, thanks to the hunters curse. Damon's on the other hand was much leaner, however there was a certain masculinity in it which Jeremy didn't at that point possess. Bonnie put it down to Damon being somewhere in his mid twenties when he was turned, which gave him a man's body.

Elena ran her fingers up Damon's chest, allowing Bonnie to feel the contours of his muscles and softness of his skin. Elena then went to kiss Damon's chest, and his scent engulfed Bonnie. This was the one sense she was supposed to keep, but it was no less erotic than the scene unfolding in front of her eyes and taking over her remaining senses. That was also the point Bonnie realized she had moved closer to them, without moving at all.

When they first started, she was at least ten feet away, but now she was less than six feet. It was as if every time she cut a sense, the was being drawn closer to them. This would prove interesting and useful when rescuing Enzo, but not while trying to sever ties while Damon and Elena were sharing an intimate moment. However, Bonnie was able to make a note of what she was doing. In fact she'd been documenting everything as she went along.

The problem started when heat began to pool in the pit of her stomach. Bonnie wasn't sure why, because Damon and Elena were clearly taking things very slowly. In fact, other than Damon's semi nudity, there was nothing in front of her which she hadn't seen before. Damon and Elena kissed all of the time as they were openly extremely affectionate and didn't care who saw. But this was different, this would lead to something other than a cup of coffee or a glass of blood.

Bonnie had to do something quickly, therefore she started to concentrate on the spell for eliminating the sense of touch. This time the spell was much harder to cast than the previous ones, but when it was done, she felt a sense of relief. She could feel Damon touching her, but not the other way around. For now she could cope with that as it left only three senses left, sight, experience and smell.

The next sense Bonnie focused on was sight. Out of sight out of mind, she thought as she felt Damon's lips on her neck, further fueling the heat in the pit of her stomach. At least if she couldn't see them, she could imagine it was Jeremy kissing her, although her now heightened sense of smell would tell her otherwise. Suddenly Bonnie felt a sharp pain on her neck. It was so realistic she lifted her hand to see if there was blood, but there was nothing. Instead she could see Damon had pierced Elena's neck and was feeding from her. Then to her surprise, Elena did the same with Damon. Bonnie knew this should have grossed her out, but not only did it visually look erotic, it felt unbelievably good in ways she couldn't describe.

Bonnie knew they were seeing and feeling things she couldn't as her thoughts were no longer merged with theirs, however what Bonnie could tell she was experiencing was love, in ways she'd never known. Her feelings for Jeremy paled in comparison, although that wasn't entirely a surprise. Out of curiosity, Bonnie focused on Damon for a moment, only to find the feeling was just as intense for him as it was for Elena. Now Bonnie understood why the shared blood, it was erotic, but not entirely sexual. It was for the emotional connection and it was beautiful. Bonnie wanted to enjoy it as she knew this would be her one time of experiencing something similar to how a vampire felt during the act, unless she became on herself and found her own soulmate. Bonnie knew she shouldn't but she wanted to feel love that powerful for a little longer, however Damon and Elena made the decision for her, as they separated and kissed. At this point, Bonnie was thankful for lack of taste, the thought of blood in her mouth almost brought her back to her own senses, but it wasn't enough.

Bonnie knew she had to get rid of another sense, which she decided had to be sight and quickly. The heat building inside her was becoming a distraction, making performing spells a little more difficult. Bonnie had already tried to get rid of experience, but it hadn't worked, however that had been when she'd had other senses to deal with. So sight was the next best thing, maybe then experience would be easier. She concentrated hard, the spell taking longer than it should to perform due to her physical distractions, but eventually she managed it. Fortunately before Damon and Elena were naked. If she hadn't have managed it in time, she would have text them and put a stop to the whole thing.

The next thing Bonnie felt were kisses down her chest and wet lips on her breasts, causing her nipples to pebble. Bonnie knew she didn't have long, her concentration levels probably had enough time for a spell and a text, depending on Damon's skill levels, which were apparently the gold standard. Bonnie knew there was a cut off point, and if she didn't make it, there was a chance she was going to experience the whole thing. She desperately needed to get rid of experience, if not she might manage smell as that was one of the simplest spells a witch could perform, and sometimes one of the most useful. That spell a witch performed on a daily basis, every time they had to go past garbage, or someone who had bad body odor, or anything they found unpleasant. Therefore if she lost control, at least she could disassociate the experience with Damon and Elena and just imagine it was her and Jeremy.

Bonnie pulled one of Jeremy's t-shirts from her drawer. One he hadn't wore long enough to make it unpleasant to smell, instead it had an air about it so she could smell him, although right now all she could smell was Damon and Elena. She put the t-shirt to her nose, but to no avail, her entire surroundings were engulfed by their scent. But that was no longer the problem.

Suddenly Bonnie realized she was laying down. She could no longer see what was happening, she could only feel it and smell it. Bonnie no longer seemed to have any control over her body. Instead she now knew what had happened. She was feeling and experiencing whatever was happening to Elena, even down to her body movements. It was at that moment Bonnie realized it was too late to stop anything. She just had to lay back and either enjoy it, or endure it. Therefore Bonnie tried to pull Jeremy's t-shirt over her nose and perform the one spell she was supposed to keep, smell. She broke the link, but she couldn't bring Jeremy's t-shirt any closer, so she'd have to think of something else instead.

Once the final tie she could cut loose was gone, it set her free of their scent, unfortunately it simply increased the sexual sensations running throughout her body. No matter how much she tried to concentrate on Jeremy, his face never came to her mind. Therefore instead she tried to use her psychic powers on herself. She'd foreseen Damon being Elena's soulmate, could she see the man in her own future. Maybe one who could make her feel as good as she was feeling now.

As she concentrated, an image popped into her mind. She was in a log cabin, a man's arms wrapped around her body, surrounded by a familiar yet unfamiliar scent, which was the most wonderful smell in the world. Lips touched her temple and she felt at home in his arms. He whispered into her ear, although she couldn't make out any words, nor even the tone of his voice. Bonnie just knew she loved it, like she loved him. In the corner of the room she noticed a guitar, which was odd as the only person she knew who played the guitar was Stefan, and it wasn't his.

Whoever this man was, she hadn't met him yet, but he was her soulmate. She closed her eyes and concentrated harder. Bonnie couldn't see him, only feel him. His lips were making their way down her her body, she knew where they were heading, exactly where she wanted them to be. It didn't matter who he was, she trusted him with her life, her body and her soul. Therefore she settled down and relaxed into her first experience with her soulmate.

Damon's mouth was on Elena's nub, sending jolts of electricity through her body. They'd taken things slowly to allow for Bonnie to disconnect five of the six senses, each time feeling the link sever, although they couldn't exactly tell which senses Bonnie had cut ties with. Once they were practically free of the link and having no text from Bonnie to tell them to stop, they knew she must have been successful, which meant they could continue as usual, not that Damon would have stopped by this point. He was desperate for her and had stopped her from taking him in her mouth, telling her he needed to be inside her, and that would only delay what he truly wanted.

As soon as Elena felt Damon's fingers inside her she knew she was going to fall over the edge within seconds. His lips had been building her up as it seemed he'd been kissing every part of her body; including her breasts, which for a change weren't sore, meaning Damon took full advantage.

Elena felt the heat inside her just begin to tip over, at the same time she grabbed hold of Damon's hair and pressed him to her nub, where he worked his fingers, tongue and lips furiously to give her the relief she she needed.

"Fuck...Damon..." she screamed as her orgasm ripped through her body. Her heated pussy began to spasm as wave after wave of a hot numb pleasure engulfed her body, starting from her pussy. Damon continued to frantically pump his fingers inside her, as she arched her back and body went rigid, rendering her incapable of coherent thought or sound.

Soon, the contractions inside her pussy began to slowly subside, and she started to relax her body, which was shaking a little from the intensity of her climax. Damon stopped what he was doing and climbed up her body, kissing her stomach and chest on the way until he reached her mouth, allowing her to taste herself. As soon as their lips touched, Damon pushed himself inside her, deliciously stretching her and filling her.

Slowly at first, their hips moved in unison, however the pace soon picked up. There was no time for multiple positions, their need for each other was emotional as much as it was physical. For that, they reserved the plain old vanilla, to allow them to enjoy the other emotions and sensations they were experiencing. Damon ghosted his fingers down Elena's body, sending shivers down her spine. She knew where his hand was heading as she could tell from his frantic movements he was close to his own release. Elena wrapped one leg around his waist, while she dug her nails into the other cheek of his behind, something he enjoyed immensely. The smell of his blood hit her nostrils, which only further increased the heat building up once again inside her.

Damon slid his hand between them and began to massage Elena's nub with a deliberate precision, designed for a quick impact. "Come for me." he whispered seductively into Elena's ear as her body responded almost on cue.

"Oh my god...Damon...Damon...aargh!" she cried as she clung onto him for dear life, as he took her on a rollercoaster ride of pleasure. She felt the telltale pinpricks of him biting into her neck, which only heightened the pulsating heat inside her pussy, which Damon's cock was stroking, sending her to further dizzying heights. Her body shivered just before her back arched and she went rigid, all the while, milking his cock, enabling him to find his own release.

"Elena...fuck...ah!" he growled as he screwed his face up in the cute expression Elena loved to see when he climaxed. It always gave her a sense of overwhelming pleasure to know how good he felt, and that look told her all she needed to know. As she felt the release of his warm seed inside her, his body began to relax and his head collapsed into the crook of Elena's neck, while they both began to regain their strength.

Bonnie lay on her bed exhausted for a moment. The experience had been the most intense thing she'd ever felt in her life. Although she knew deep down she'd only experienced what Elena had, she also suspected there was more to it than that. The soulmate connection she'd felt between Damon and Elena had allowed her to see something of her own future love. What had concerned her was when she felt the bite on her neck. She knew it must have been Damon biting down on Elena, but did that also mean her soulmate was a vampire? She hoped not as the thought of having sex with a vampire made her feel wary, even after what she'd just experienced. It was nice to imagine the pleasure one could give her, and if what she'd just felt was anything to go by, it was almost worth it. But deep down her morals were completely against being with a vampire. She'd never trust a vampire with her life like she felt in her vision.

For now it was time to put all of that to the back of her mind and opt for the second part of the experiment. Bonnie was going to get extremely drunk, and see how it affected Damon and Elena. She poured herself a glass of bourbon and drank it down in one, wincing at the strong taste. It immediately went straight to her head, so she put some music on and decided to go through her grimoire to see if she could find a better blocking spell for experiencing sensations, as that was the one they needed to eliminate above all others.

 

 


	56. Chapter 56

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Bonnie was on her third glass of bourbon when there was a banging on her bedroom door. She got up and walked as straight as she could over to it and opened it to face Damon who hadn't quite managed to button up his shirt correctly and was swaying slightly. Bonnie tried not to blush at the sight and memory of what he was capable of doing to a woman. Her idea was to drink herself into oblivion and hopefully forget the details. However it looked like Damon and Elena weren't going to let her off the hook that easily.

"Living room, now!" Damon commanded. "And give me that bottle of bourbon!" he demanded, his voice perfectly clear.

"We're testing the psychic link." Bonnie told him, her words slightly slurred.

"I know." Damon sighed. "But for this test, it might be easier to be in the same room, just to make sure you don't kill yourself."

"Fine!" Bonnie snapped as she stumbled across the bedroom and grabbed the bottle of bourbon and her grimoire. "Wouldn't a text have been enough?" she asked, wondering why Damon had come to see her instead of simply texting her.

"We did. Your phone is on silent." Damon growled.

"Sorry." Bonnie giggled as Damon wandered to the living room and Bonnie followed.

Elena was already sat on one of the couches in front of the fire. Damon sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her while Bonnie flopped down opposite them, not knowing what to expect.

"So, Bon Bon." Damon smiled. "I take it you changed the psychic links so we could experience being drunk with you." he asked.

"Nope!" Bonnie shook her head.

"So let's get this straight, if you had managed to sever the right links and remain tied to us how we agreed, I shouldn't feel drunk right now." Damon stated. "I should only be able to smell bourbon."

"What sense was left Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"Can't you tell?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm too drunk." Elena admitted. "How much did you drink? An entire bottle?" she asked.

"Three glasses." Bonnie told her.

"Lightweight." Damon laughed. "On the plus side, this is an awesome way to get drunk. I haven't felt this buzzed since 1864." he grinned.

"Seriously?" Bonnie asked, shocked. She'd seen Damon drunk a number of times, and always thought he was much further gone than she was right at this point.

"Drinking bourbon is like drinking low alcohol beer." Elena explained. "It is technically possible to get drunk, but you have to drink a lot in a short space of time. You sober up before you know it." she said.

"That's a bummer." Bonnie frowned.

"On the plus side, if you can replicate a spell like this for Ric. We could find him a human drinking buddy who he can get trashed with." Damon laughed. "He's devastated about his alcohol tolerance. He hasn't been wasted since he became a vampire."

"Umm, can we get back to the serious side of this conversation?" Elena asked.

Bonnie's face dropped, she didn't want to discuss the sensation issue.

"Okay, so lets see..." Damon started. "I can't taste bourbon, I can't see through Bon Bon's eyes, I couldn't hear the silence in Bon Bon's room, I can't feel the bottle in Bon Bon's hand. I can't hear her thoughts, however I feel drunk. Which tells me, if you didn't change a damn thing, you have had a very enjoyable evening so far." he eyed her with concern.

"I couldn't turn the sense of feeling and experience off." Bonnie explained. "After I turned off our mind connection, I tried to turn it off. I thought I had too many senses going on, which was why I couldn't. So I turned some of the others on, but every time one disappeared, the others became stronger." she said.

"Sensory deprivation." Damon explained. "Remove one sense, the others get stronger. Didn't you know that?" he asked as Bonnie shook her head in embarrassment.

"So which was the last one you could turn off?" Elena asked.

"Smell." Bonnie replied. "Don't worry, everything else was turned off before I got to see anything different to what I see in a morning when I'm getting a coffee from you two."

"But you felt everything." Elena said coldly.

Bonnie's eyes dropped, knowing she had to explain what happened. "Yes and no." she said. "Remember when I told you about the man, the fog and the crow?" she asked.

"Yeah." Elena narrowed her eyes. "You saw Damon in my future." she said as Bonnie nodded.

"I've never seen my own before." Bonnie told them.

"You went into a vision?" Damon asked.

"Sort of. It was mixed in with what you guys were doing, but it felt like it was me and him." Bonnie explained.

"Who's him?" Damon asked.

"I don't know." Bonnie frowned. "I was in a log cabin, I was in his arms. I could smell him, I could feel him. But I couldn't see him." she said sadly. "But god I loved him so much, it hurt. And I know he loved me. Everything I felt was him and me, except for..." she took a deep breath. "Did you bite Elena by any chance?" she winced at asking the question.

"Yeah, it's a vampire thing." Damon said slowly.

"Oh thank god for that." Bonnie said putting her hand on her heart. "I thought he might be a vampire." she sighed thankfully. "Other than that, I was completely overtaken by the vision." she smiled.

"Is there anything else you remember?" Elena asked intrigued. "Could it have been Jer?" she asked hopefully, but Bonnie shook her head.

"His scent was different." Bonnie explained as Elena's face dropped. As much Elena knew Bonnie and Jeremy's relationship was unlikely to last, she had still held out hope that Bonnie would one day become her sister in law.

"Maybe Little Gilbert changed cologne." Damon suggested, pouring himself a glass of bourbon. "What?" he asked as Bonnie and Elena looked at him. "If I'm going to get buzzed, I might as well enjoy the entire experience, including the taste and smell. So Bon Bon, please continue to drink." she smiled as he offered Elena a glass, which she took.

"I don't mean that scent." Bonnie frowned. "I can't explain it. People don't normally smell that strong unless they're wearing cologne, but this was a natural smell." she frowned as Damon and Elena looked at each other. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Are you sure it wasn't Damon you could smell?" Elena asked. "Check, he might smell different to you through your sense than through mine." she said as Bonnie got up.

"Fine." Bonnie said as she walked over to sniff Damon, only to realize she could barely smell him at all. It was nothing like what she'd experienced earlier.

"Now turn the sense of smell back on." Elena told her as she did. Still Bonnie couldn't smell Damon, until Elena stood up and took in his scent, overwhelming Bonnie.

"Why do I suddenly feel like a tree?" Damon frowned as Elena laughed and kissed him, but suddenly stopped as Bonnie clapped her hand over her mouth and spun around, nearly falling over in the process. "You felt that?" Damon asked as Bonnie looked back at them and nodded. "Well that's not awkward." he sighed. "Which means Bon Bon, we are going to have to rewind and see if there is a way to unlink sensation. It is the one we need the least. Because there is no fucking way I am going to go the next, ten or so hours without kissing my beautiful girlfriend. So either you get over it or find a way to get rid of this linking issue." he growled.

"There's no way I can do this drunk." Bonnie sighed.

"Easy!" Damon stated as he bit his wrist and held it out for Bonnie, who winced at the sting she felt when he pierced the skin. "This should sober you up in a few minutes." he said, however Bonnie just stared at it. She'd already gotten too close to Damon's skin for comfort. Drinking his blood was not something she wanted to indulge in.

"You want mine Bonnie?" Elena asked and Bonnie nodded. Elena bit her wrist and fed Bonnie some of her blood, which immediately began to sober her up.

"Wow, this is the best hangover cure in the world." Bonnie frowned.

"I suddenly I feel sober." Damon hissed. "I've got an idea." he said as he picked up an empty glass and bit his hand and squeezing it, forcing blood to drip into the glass. "We still need to test whether the links are severed." he said. "We can still use alcohol, and it's miracle cure." he grinned. "So Bon Bon, undo the blocking spells, and start again now you are less distracted, we shall see how we can get rid of this sense which allows you to feel everything we feel." he snarled, handing Bonnie the glass of his blood.

"Calm down Damon." Elena grabbed his arm and sat him back down on the couch and began to stroke the back of his knuckles. "If we need more you can have some of mine." Elena told Bonnie.

Bonnie sat opposite them. "Thanks." she smiled. "Okay so lets be clear, I can feel you both or I can concentrate on one of you." she told them.

"Can you switch?" Damon asked, suddenly intrigued by this additional information as Bonnie nodded. "So if we can get your psychic juices flowing the right way, this could be even more useful that we originally thought. Although, it won't be much good if you can't get rid of those pesky sensations where you feel what we feel, because if Dr. Frankenstein feels like cutting me open when I'm down there, you're going to feel every damned thing. You think experiencing me giving you an orgasm was bad? That was the good part." he grinned as Elena and Bonnie put their heads in their hands at the same time. "What? I only stated the obvious!" he shrugged.

"And sometimes the obvious doesn't need stating." Elena glared at him angrily.

"Sorry Bon Bon." Damon sighed, clearly not sorry. "I sometimes say things I shouldn't say. They just come out of my mouth as I'm thinking them and occasionally I have no control over what I say." he shrugged nonchalantly. "Plus, as soon as we get our mutual thoughts back, it's gonna come up. Might as well clear the air now." he folded his arms smugly.

"True." Bonnie agreed. "Once we've got thought connection, there's no getting away from what happened earlier. Of course I could share my experience with whoever my mystery guy was, with all senses." she winked, and Elena smirked back at Bonnie's threat.

"Okay, no need for threats Bon Bon." Damon sighed. "Just rewire us so we're all connected and juiced up." he grimaced. "Undo the spells, then try sensations first." he suggested.

"Okay." Bonnie snapped as she opened her grimoire and removed the spells linking them. "Done. We have full connection once more." she said.

"Now try removing the experience." Damon suggested.

Bonnie concentrated hard on the spell, when suddenly she felt them disconnect. "That's weird." she frowned. "It wouldn't do that before." she said.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"The first one I got rid of was thought, then sound." Bonnie explained. "Next I tried experience but it didn't work." she said.

"Just try getting rid of each other individual sense one by one." Damon suggested. "Above all, it's the experience is the one we don't need. We might need all of the other senses though." he said.

"Okay." Bonnie said as she tried to get rid of the telepathic link, but failed. "That's odd. I managed that one last time." she frowned.

"Let's start again." Damon suggested.

They continued testing each link through trial and error for the next half an hour, by which time they'd worked out they needed to retain either telepathy or experience. This did mean no more links during sex, however it could provide useful for when Elena went into labor and for the next part of Damon's plan, which he was about to reveal once the group were back together.

"Who are you texting?" Elena frowned.

"Stefan." Damon told them both. "Now it is time to reveal my cunning master plan to rescue Enzo." he grinned.

Just as Stefan and Caroline had begun to set off for the Salvatore house, they both received a text telling them to come back to the dorm as Damon, Elena and Bonnie were going to need the house for psychic link training and they needed complete privacy. As they walked through the halls to the dorm, they passed their friends, therefore they knew they would have privacy. On the way back, Caroline had picked up two bottles of bourbon and a bottle of vodka, just in case she needed to get and stay drunk for this conversation with Stefan. For some reason, talking about the situation with Tyler made her feel nervous. Once inside the dorm, they locked the door, poured themselves drinks and sat down on a bed each.

"So I thought you were over Tyler." Stefan said, deciding to break the ice.

"I am, or was, or I don't know Stefan." Caroline sighed.

"But you slept with Klaus." Stefan winced, which didn't go unnoticed by Caroline.

"I know." Caroline looked to the ceiling. "Tyler dumped me, although he said it was because he was putting me first so I didn't get hurt by Klaus." she told him. "I thought I was free and single."

"And Klaus just happened to be there?" Stefan asked.

"Klaus has had a thing for me for a while." Caroline explained. "And considering he's this all powerful, dangerous vampire..." she shook her head. "I can't explain it. There was just some weird connect between us." she said.

"You thought he was hot?" Stefan smirked.

"Yes, no...I don't know." Caroline huffed. "He just had this unique way of making me feel..." she started.

"Special?" Stefan suggested and Caroline nodded.

"Yeah, special." she smiled.

"In ways Tyler didn't?" Stefan prodded further.

"Yes." she agreed. "But I don't mean that in a sexual way." she quickly added. "He just knows how to be interested. And when he turns on the charm...he's..." she frowned.

"Difficult not to like if you didn't know his past and what he was capable of." Stefan added as Caroline nodded again.

"Then Tyler turns up, completely out of the blue. Expecting things to continue where they left off, but by then it was too late." Caroline said. "The mistake was already made. If only Tyler had kept in touch, none of this would of happened." she said as she started to sob.

"Hey, hey, hey." Stefan said softly as he got up, sat next to her and put his arms around her. "Maybe you and Tyler just weren't meant to be." he offered. "The world has constantly kept you apart." he said as Caroline looked at him skeptically. "Or, maybe now is not the right time for you and Tyler to be together. You are both going to be around, potentially for centuries. That's time to forgive."

"Like you and Damon forgave Katherine?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"She turned us and used us. That's why we hate her so much." Stefan told her. "She compelled my love and led Damon on. As a result we've both done things I'm sure we regret, whether we care to admit it or not." he explained. "And I'm sure one of my brother's biggest regrets is the way he treat you." he said.

"I doubt it. He's only nice to me to stay on Elena's good side." she complained.

"Nah, there's more to it than that." Stefan smiled. "He won't admit it, but you are on his very small list of people he actually gives a shit about. And he would give his life for any one of those people. But don't let him know I said that." he smirked as Caroline laughed and sobbed at the same time.

"That was another thing Tyler heard." Caroline grimaced.

"What?" Stefan frowned. "You and Damon were common knowledge." he said.

"Okay, so please don't judge." Caroline sighed. "If this gets out, Bonnie and Elena will kill me." she said.

"Okay." Stefan agreed wearily, not liking the sound of what Caroline was about to say.

"When we were younger, before we did anything with anyone, we devised a marking system." Caroline explained. "Gold, silver and bronze. And if needed there was the also ran category." she told him as Stefan's jaw dropped. "The first guy we slept with would start off as gold, and then slide down the scale should it go past three."

"Okay." Stefan said nervously. "That's a little harsh isn't it?" he asked. "People get better with experience."

"True." Caroline agreed. "So anyway, Damon was the second guy I slept with. And he was put up to gold standard."

Stefan closed his eyes as he knew what was coming. "I take it Tyler didn't measure up to Damon's standards and Tyler overheard?" he asked.

"Not even Klaus measured up." Caroline replied. "I mentioned Damon was still gold standard even after Klaus and Tyler was even more pissed. I don't know why, Damon and Klaus have got centuries on him. Tyler did get bronze." she said lightly.

"That's too much information Caroline." Stefan frowned, wondering where he stacked up on Elena's list, although considering Damon and Elena were soulmates, he suspected his brother topped that list too. He shook his head, trying to put the thoughts out of his head. "Well at least he doesn't top Bonnie's list." Stefan sighed.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Caroline told him. "When they had that psychic feeding link in the club a few months ago...lets just say I think her eyes were opened to what sex was actually like." she shook her head. "But, as your brother is...or was a womanizing man slut, I'd be more surprised if he wasn't talented in that area. He's had plenty of practice."

"Can we get off the subject of Damon's sexual prowess?" Stefan grimaced. "This is getting uncomfortable." he told her.

"Fine." Caroline nodded. "Well anyway, Tyler overheard what we said and that's why he went crazy. He told me he wasn't going to start college yet. He lied to me to surprise me, but it only surprised him." she said as the tears began to flow once more.

"And now he's starting college and you've got to be around him with all of this awkwardness?" Stefan asked as Caroline nodded. "Look Caroline, you didn't do anything wrong. You thought you were single and you girls have a little sexual ratings comparison thing going on. I can't say I approve, but I do get it. And I know why Tyler was upset when he heard he didn't measure up to Damon." he said.

"Why?" Caroline asked.

"You don't like Damon and you were human when you two were, for want of a better word...a couple." Stefan explained. "When you are a vampire you feel things so much more deeply. And love improves sex. Because you can be yourself with someone. If Tyler wasn't better than Damon in bed, then Tyler would see it as you not having feelings for him. I wouldn't expect to come close to Damon in Elena's ratings. He's her soulmate. Even if I was technically better than Damon, her love for Damon would make it feel better for her because of the emotional connection being deeper. If Tyler was your soulmate, nobody else would come close." he assured her.

Caroline finally stopped crying after taking in what Stefan had told her. She knew he was right, if Tyler was the one, nobody would come close because of their emotional connection. The more she thought about it, the more her love life came into focus.

"Do you think I'll ever meet my soulmate?" she asked.

"I hope so." Stefan replied. "Although no offense, I hope it's not too soon. I don't want to lose my best friend." he smirked as Caroline lay her head on Stefan's shoulder taking in his familiarity.

"None taken." Caroline laughed. "I wonder if I'd know straight away." she sighed.

"Probably not." Stefan frowned. "Look how long it took Damon and Elena to figure it out." he said.

"Do you really think they'd have been soulmates without all of this?" Caroline asked, waving her hand in the air.

"I do." Stefan told her. "I've never seen any two people so compatible in my entire life. They mirror, contrast and compliment each other." he said.

"Do you think you'll ever find yours?" she asked, looking up at Stefan.

"One day." Stefan nodded. "I thought I had with Elena, but it wasn't real." he said sadly.

"Do you still love her?" Caroline frowned.

"What? No!" Stefan shook his head. "Well not like that." he grimaced, causing Caroline to laugh. "When I look back at how we were together and how she is with Damon, I see how bad our relationship was. We couldn't be open and talk like you and I are right now. We didn't really fight as we felt like we had to be perfect for each other. No relationship should be like that. What I thought was the best relationship, was not even close. I want what Damon and Elena have." he said wistfully. "On the plus side, not being tied to one person does mean we can have fun." he suggested.

"Are you suggesting we go out and be slutty for the night?" Caroline laughed.

"We're vampires, we have needs." Stefan winked. "We can have our own ratings system." he suggested as Caroline sat up and slapped him on the arm.

"Stefan Salvatore." Caroline smiled. "You are the best friend a girl could ever have." she raised her glass. "To whoever the lucky girl is who just happens to be your soulmate." she said.

"And to whoever happens to be the lucky guy who gets to be your soulmate." Stefan raised his glass as they clinked them together and they both drained the contents in one gulp. "You do know I am kidding right." he said nervously. "About our slutty night."

"I know." Caroline sighed. "Although if I have to find a way to burn of some steam soon." she sighed.

"Yeah I know." Stefan started as his phone suddenly vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket to find out it was from Damon. He opened the message and read it out loud to Caroline.

" _Meet us at the house. And bring_..." Stefan stopped at the word ' _Blondie_ ', refusing to call her by Damon's nickname. "You." he said.

"I take it they must have mastered the psychic link with Bonnie." Caroline shrugged.

"Well, I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting." Stefan sighed, texting Damon back ' _We're on our way_.' it said.

Caroline and Stefan arrived at the house an hour later only to walk in on the strangest scene. Damon, Elena and Bonnie appeared to be having some kind of staring contest, which looked incredibly odd as they were making faces at each other as if they were talking, when it occurred to Stefan that the three of them could indeed be having a conversation using the link, although he was a little unsure of how it work. Damon looked up and stared at Stefan and Caroline for a moment before Bonnie and Elena burst into laughter.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked.

"Oh lips, mouth, voice, forgot." Damon smiled. "We were just having a little chat." he grinned as Stefan and Caroline sat on the couch opposite Elena, who was curled up into Damon's body with her feet on the couch.

"So the link worked?" Caroline asked optimistically.

"Oh it worked alright." Bonnie nodded. "Although it took a few attempts using varying methods." she said.

"Turns out Bonnie either has to retain telepathy of the physical connection by feeling what we or one of us experiences." Elena told them.

"Jo said she had to keep one sense, but I thought it was just optional." Stefan said.

"We discovered the hard way it was one or the other." Damon grimaced.

"Do we want to know?" Caroline asked as Damon, Elena and Bonnie shook their heads simultaneously.

"Fine, so why are we here?" Stefan asked.

"So the plan to rescue Enzo depended on two factors which had to be resolved before we could decide how to get him out." Damon explained. "The first being getting invites into Whitmore house, which is done. The other being able to create the psychic link and be able to control it, even with distraction and under duress." he said. "Now we've sorted those small issues out, it's time to make an actual plan." he told them.

"Do you have anything in mind?" Caroline asked.

"Yes, but it needs some more detective work." Damon sighed.

"Spill!" Bonnie said.

"We need to question Maxfield and find out if he is our Dr. Frankenstein. "Damon explained. "If he is, we need to find out when we can be absolutely certain he won't be anywhere near Whitmore house." he said.

"Easy, find out when one of his lectures are." Elena frowned, but Damon shook his head.

"I don't want him to suspect us. You guys especially." he said. "Me he doesn't know."

"How?" Caroline asked.

"Next weekend is the Historical Ball." Damon reminded them. "We need to find out if he's going, if he is, keep him occupied and we'll take it from there." he said.

"I thought your plan was to get caught." Elena smiled at the welcome news of Damon not having to end up back in a cell.

"It was until I heard about the Historical Ball. If he's not going, we resort to plan B, which does involve me getting caught." Damon grimaced. "Trust me I don't want to go back into one of those cells again." he shuddered as Elena reassuringly stroked his arm. "The ball itself is being held in the hall next to Whitmore house. Ric isn't going to go to the party, pretending to have a stomach bug. Nobody will suspect a professor." Damon told them. "Donovan can wait with Ric until we know Dr. Creepy is busy. Bon Bon here, needs to put one of her witchy spells on your dorm, so we can keep Enzo there for an hour or so. We don't know how strong he is and we can't have him escaping and blowing our cover. Nobody, other than me can be gone from the party for too long." he said.

"Won't he notice you're missing?" Caroline asked.

"I'm the one person he doesn't know. He won't notice I'm missing from the party, which is why you are going to have to make friends him this week." Damon winced.

"How?" Caroline asked.

"He asked me to go visit him." Elena said.

"But she's not going alone and I want her linked with Bonnie while she's there." Damon said.

"I'll go." Stefan suggested, however Damon shook his head.

"I think Blondie needs to go." he said. "I don't know whether they have my records, and if what Dr. Maxfield says is true about going through Grayson's work, the name Salvatore might ring alarm bells. And not in a positive way." he sighed. "We don't know how much he knows, get him to talk about vampires. He's already told Elena he knows about them." he turned to Bonnie. "I need you linked to Elena and I just in case anything goes wrong." he said as Bonnie nodded in agreement.

"And say what?" Caroline asked.

"Tell him you're on the Founders Council, which is how you know about vampires." Damon told them. "See if he will give you an invite to the Augustine meeting." he said.

"But that's on Monday." Caroline frowned.

"I know." Damon nodded. "We need to act fast. This is the perfect opportunity to question him. I doubt they'll physically invite you into the house, but you can just stroll right in. They wont suspect a thing." he grinned. "You two..." Damon pointed at Caroline and Elena, "Are will be on distraction duty." he explained. "Ric and I are muscle power, which we're going to need as vervain won't be of much use to us." he said.

"How come?" Stefan asked.

"Megan had vervain in her system when she died." Caroline reminded him. "But he still managed to drain her."

"So we have to take it he has an extremely high tolerance to vervain, probably a lot higher than ours, which says a lot." Damon added. "Hence muscle power. Ric and I are the strongest. Stefan and Quarterback will be our shooters, and Bon Bon is our back up, which is why she needs to be kept away from Dr. Frankenstein."

"Am I actually going to the ball?" Bonnie asked.

"No Cinderella you shall not go to the ball." Damon smirked. "That way you will not be missed. If anyone asks, you're off to Mystic Falls to see Little Gilbert for some hot... maybe not." he stopped as Bonnie blushed. "Look Bon Bon. There's a chance you might be the only one who can keep him down. Plus, he's more likely to go with you." he said.

"Why?" Bonnie frowned.

"Well it's you, Elena or Blondie." Damon said to Bonnie. "And I'm not having Elena anywhere near him until he's calmed down from his prison break." he said.

"You mean he is more likely to respond to a woman?" Caroline frowned.

"After some of our long conversations over the years, I believe Enzo would be more responsive to a woman." Damon smiled knowingly. "Which is good, because if everything goes down well, none of us, who are leaving the ball, need to be gone for more than fifteen minutes. But that does mean Bon Bon, Ric and Quarterback will be in charge of calming him down and getting him back to the cell I'll be building at the house." he said.

"How are you going to get him to trust you if you are simply moving him from one cell to another?" Caroline asked.

"When I'm convinced he's not going to wipe out the whole college population, he's free to stay in more luxurious accommodation." Damon frowned. "Although he will have the creature comforts in the cell. TV, bathroom, comfortable bed, mini fridge stocked with blood and alcohol. He'll be fine." Damon shrugged.

"I hope you know what you're doing." Elena shook her head.

"Hey." Damon ran his fingers through Elena's hair. "Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

"Ew..." Bonnie winced. "Will you two stop it? Remember we're linked right now." she said.

"Sorry Bonnie." Elena said sheepishly.

"I'm not." Damon smirked. "Now all we need is a packet of cigarettes." he added.

"What?" Elena pulled a face of disgust.

"Just in case anyone asks questions about mine and Stefan's disappearance, just say we're both heavy smokers." Damon explained. "When we get back to the ball, we'll smell of cigarette smoke and nobody will be the wiser." he said. "Which means every angle is covered."

 


	57. Chapter 57

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Finally, Friday was the first time anything had gone right since Elena, Bonnie and Damon established the psychic link. After a little more practice, Bonnie had managed to sever the ties with sensations once she focused on being able to talk using telepathy. They'd decided the senses Bonnie would require for the link to be of use during the mission were telepathy, visual and audio. Everything else could be shut off.

Once they'd mastered the link, the previous Sunday, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie had been snooping on Tyler moving to college. They had indeed found Jeremy was helping him move his stuff into his dorm. They'd returned to the Salvatore house expecting a visit from at least Jeremy and Matt, although the doubted Tyler would visit. However Jeremy didn't show up, even though Matt did. Jeremy never bothered to visit Elena or Bonnie, which they thought was a little suspicious, and Matt didn't say anything about Jeremy being with them.

As a result, Elena had expected Bonnie to be upset by this development, however she'd just shrugged it off, seemingly not as upset about them becoming distant. Elena had however, noticed a change in Bonnie since their psychic link. She'd seemed quieter, but oddly more serene. Elena suspected Bonnie's knowledge of her own soulmate being around had somewhat comforted her, even if it did sadden Elena that it didn't appear to be her brother. Elena also wondered if Bonnie almost felt guilty for agreeing to the link. Bonnie had gone into the experiment, with full knowledge there was a chance she would experience some sort of sexual encounter with Damon, even if they weren't in the same room. Her concern was whether Bonnie had felt like she'd cheated on Jeremy by consenting to participate, in order to help someone nobody, other than Damon, knew. Whatever it was, something was adrift.

To compound matters, Bonnie had to tell Jeremy she wouldn't be seeing him this weekend as they were attending the Historical Ball at college. Under normal circumstances, Bonnie would have invited Jeremy as her guest, but Bonnie herself wasn't even attending. She was creating a holding area for Enzo in her dorm until they could get him to the safety of the specially designed temporary holding cell for him at the Salvatore house. She was also the link between Elena, Caroline and Damon.

Elena and Caroline were tasked with keeping an eye on Dr. Maxfield while Damon and Stefan disappeared from the ball to rescue Enzo. As they didn't know if there was anyone else involved with the Augustine's they couldn't take too many chances. Damon was going to go in first, and if there was anyone else there and he got caught, he would at least be able to let someone know as in all likelihood, he'd lose his phone in the process. Then they would have to activate plan B, which involved Stefan and Matt shooting whoever was holding Damon and Enzo, while Ric got them out. If Damon instead gave the all clear, Bonnie would show Ric and Stefan where they needed to go to get to the lab from Damon's memory. All while this was going on, Bonnie would know where Dr. Maxfield and could give an early warning if he was on his way. That was if Dr. Maxfield was going to the ball, and up until five minutes ago, Elena didn't know for certain if that was the case, despite her best efforts to find out.

All week, Elena and Caroline had been trying to get to see Dr. Maxfield, but hadn't been successful. As he'd offered to see Elena during office hours, they'd gone to his lab Monday morning, as they'd been hoping for an invitation to the Augustine society. But they'd been brushed off, being told he was extremely busy with some work. They'd even taken to waiting outside his lectures on the premise of seeing Jesse, but he just walked off. They also noticed Jesse was missing from his lectures, which began to raise concern for both Elena and Caroline.

By Friday morning, Elena had to wait alone for Dr. Maxfield, which was completely against what they'd discussed, but Caroline was in a lecture and Elena was getting desperate. Fortunately, this time Dr. Maxfield had at least given her the information she needed to know, he told her he was busy, but he'd see her at the Historical Ball, which was one of the main points of seeing him. Elena called Damon to let him know.

"Hey beautiful." Damon answered lazily. "I thought you weren't going to see the elusive Dr. Frankenstein today, did you accidentally on purpose bump into him?" he asked.

"I know you said not to wait for him..." Elena started. "But I was only going to ask him when it would be a suitable time for me and Caroline to go and see him." she said quickly. "He told me he'd see me at the ball."

"Although that's great news, Elena you have to be careful." he groaned.

"I know." Elena sighed. "But I suspected he might be more forthcoming if I were alone." she said.

"You thinking he's dodging because of Blondie?" Damon asked. "Can't say I blame him." he sighed.

"Damon!" Elena snapped.

"I'm right." Damon argued back. "First time you are alone with him and he practically offers to take you out on a date."

"He didn't offer to take me out on a date." Elena growled. "He just asked if I were going to the ball and I told him I was. Then he said he'd see me there." she said.

"That is exactly what I mean." Damon said. "What else do you say when you're asking someone to go out on a date?" he asked, although Elena could tell he wasn't being entirely serious.

"Damon, he wants to see me tomorrow night. It gives me the perfect opportunity to keep him occupied while you go and get Enzo." she whispered, looking around her checking there was no one around.

"Fine. He wasn't asking you out on a date. And yes, that sounds like our window of opportunity to keep him occupied." Damon agreed. "Does that mean I've got to pay the Grill a visit to compel Matt the weekend off?" he asked.

"Well I've got Occult Studies next, so yes." Elena replied. "Will you be back once I'm out?" she asked.

"Should be. Why?" Damon replied.

"The Historical ball is a costume party. We need to dress up." she warned him.

"As?" Damon groaned.

"Real or fictional villains, or bad guys." Elena grinned.

"That's easy. I'll go as myself." Damon told her. "Or even better, I could go as Stefan, although I'm not sure I have the patience to shape my hero hair like his."

"Damon!" Elena hissed.

"Fine, I'll meet you after class." Damon sighed. "We can let Ric know the plan is in motion." he said.

"Ooh, gotta go." Elena suddenly said as she saw Caroline approaching.

"Okay, I love you." Damon said sweetly.

"I love you too." Elena replied softly as she hung up.

"Hey." Caroline said as she approached Elena.

"Guess what?" Elena grinned as Caroline shook her head. "Dr. Maxfield will be at the ball tomorrow night, and he's asked to see me." she said smugly.

"Please tell me you didn't go to his lab." Caroline looked at her pointedly.

"No, I waited outside his class. I was out early." Elena told her. "He barely stopped, but told me he'd see me at the ball tomorrow night."

"Was that you letting Damon know we're good to go?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah." Elena nodded. "We can let Ric know in a minute." she said. "Damon is heading into Mystic Falls as we speak to compel Matt the weekend off." she told her. "Then he's coming back to look for a costume for the ball."

"Damon, in a costume?" Caroline raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"Well it needs to be something inconspicuous." Elena explained. "So he's been okay about it. We can't having him walking over to Whitmore house looking noticeable." she said. "Have you and Stefan got your costumes?" she asked.

"I've gone easy on him too." Caroline told her. "Bonnie and Clyde. He just needs to wear a dark suit, so he shouldn't look too out of place." she smiled before frowning. "Did you see Jesse?" she frowned.

"No, he wasn't there." Elena shook her head.

"He's not been answering my calls or texts." Caroline said, worry creeping into his voice.

"Maybe he had to go home for an emergency." Elena suggested.

"Could be." Caroline sighed. "I'll try calling him again later."

"Great." Elena grinned. "Let's go find Ric." she said as they set off to their Occult Studies class.

The next evening everyone had gathered at the Salvatore house before moving on to get in place for the mission. Damon and Elena were dressed up as Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn, although realistically Damon could have been anyone, including a modern day Klaus Mikaelson. While Elena wore a full, almost authentic looking gown, Damon wore leather pants and a short tunic. However the intention was for Damon to look inconspicuous while simultaneously being dressed up, and Caroline had picked the best cover with Bonnie and Clyde, so their options had been slightly diminished.

Damon, Elena and Bonnie had already performed the psychic link, leaving them twelve hours of a connection to complete the mission. In theory, Damon believed it should take no longer than fifteen minutes, depending on how many cameras had to be taken out and how many locks had to be picked.

Bonnie, Ric and Matt were waiting in Ric's truck behind Whitmore house. Stefan was carrying the gun with wooden bullets as he was faster than Matt and would have a better chance of shooting Enzo to slow him down a little, just enough for Ric to snap his neck. Matt was there to shoot any interfering humans they might encounter. wouldn't kill anyone. He was to aim for the legs. Then Ric and Damon would heal them and compel them to forget. Fortunately they knew Aaron Whitmore wouldn't be a problem.

Although Aaron owned Whitmore house, he didn't live there, nobody did. It was used for small functions, meetings and parties. They suspected this was the Augustine's way of being able to meet securely as a vampire would require an invitation to get in, which only Aaron could provide. This was why the group were so confident of not being suspected as the perpetrators, because as far as Dr. Maxfield would be concerned, they shouldn't be able to get in if they were indeed vampires, so even if he suspected them, they could prove they weren't. On top of that, they'd been ingesting vervain for the last two weeks, hoping to build up some tolerance, just in case he spiked a drink with the stuff. They knew to be extra careful about what they consumed around him and would have to ensure they checked the odor of any food or drink offered. This would be especially necessary at the ball, just in case Dr. Maxfield offered to get either Elena or Caroline a drink.

The ball was being held at a larger building next to Whitmore house. This was due to the size of the ball and the grandiose requirements for the party. Fortunately this meant it was only a short trip to Whitmore house for the rescue mission. Hopefully giving them time to be in and out within the fifteen minutes they suspected they could get away with.

Damon and Elena stood at the top of the elegant stairs, before Elena picked up the skirt of her gown and Damon took her hand as they slowly made their way down the steps. Becoming a vampire had many perks, however standing on a long skirt, while wearing small heels and not falling downstairs, on her ass, wasn't one of them. Therefore she had to be extra careful, because if she did fall, she wouldn't get hurt, and questions would be asked. Caroline and Stefan followed them.

"I take it you managed to get on the dance committee." Stefan looked around, admiring the room as they descended the stairs.

"No." Caroline sighed wistfully. "Although I may have e-mailed them a few suggestions." she smirked as they reached the bottom to find Damon twirling Elena around.

"Lady Anne Boleyn." Damon grinned. "Now, who in their right mind would cut off a head so gorgeous?"

"Uh, you, my king, my not-so-loving husband." Elena replied sarcastically.

"Well, maybe I can change my mind, you see, unlike old Henry, I don't mind the idea of having a little girl." Damon smiled softly as he pulled Elena close to him. "I mean, their daughter wasn't exactly someone even I would mess with. I even think Klaus would have met his match with her." he nodded. "If I have a little girl as strong as her, I'll be a very happy man. Maybe we could call her Elizabeth." he whispered in Elena's ear.

"And have her die a virgin?" Elena laughed, wrapping her arms around Damon's neck.

"Even better." Damon grinned. "I'm not letting anyone lay a finger on her!" he stated in a matter of fact voice.

"And never give her the opportunity to find a love like what we have?" Elena gave him a doe-eyed look.

"Yeah, but with that, she could easily mistake a guy for being in love with her when all he wants is sex." Damon warned her. "And as I was one of those guys for over a century, I'm a leading expert in the field." he nodded knowingly.

"Well if we try stopping her, she'll just go behind our backs." Elena teased as Damon frowned.

"Okay, you win." he said as he noticed Tyler out of the corner of his eye. "Incoming Blondie meltdown, courtesy of a certain hybrid. Maybe that's mine and Stefan's cue to go rescue Enzo. We can leave the party early afterwards to console Blondie." he suggested as he glanced over at Stefan, who pulled Caroline over towards Damon and Elena.

"When are we thinking about making our move?" Stefan asked.

"First of all we're looking for for Dr. Frankenstein." Damon said. "As soon as we see him, we walk past him with our lovely ladies and then promptly disappear outside for our..." he coughed, "cigarettes." he said turning to Stefan. "First I suggest we head to the bar, and ensure these lovely ladies have drinks to keep them happy while we are gone." he grinned.

"Fine." Elena nodded as Damon and Stefan headed off to get them their drinks while she and Caroline waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Caroline and Elena first scoured the dance floor for Dr. Maxfield, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. However, just as Damon and Stefan returned, they spotted him descending the stairs.

"He's seen us together, which means that's our cue to leave." Damon whispered to Elena, but loud enough for Stefan and Caroline to hear.

"Be careful." Elena whispered back. "I need you to come back to me." she said. "You know what will happen if you get caught." she warned him. "You'll soon start to desiccate."

"I promise." Damon smiled as he kissed Elena on the lips. "I'll see you in fifteen minutes." he said so only Elena could hear him. Damon turned to Stefan. "Shall we go out for a cigarette and allow these beautiful ladies to mingle, although I'm not sure a queen should be allowed to consort with such..."

"Just go and give yourselves cancer!" Elena snapped, putting on the act they'd already rehearsed earlier.

"Looks like I'm going to be dancing my way out of the doghouse later." Damon winked.

"Just go!" Caroline sighed.

"Your wish is my command Blondie." Damon grinned.

"Won't be long." Stefan added as he and Damon left the dance floor.

Elena watched them leave with a heavy heart. Damon had the most dangerous task as he knew whereabouts in the house, the entrance to the lab was. He was leading the mission and the only one truly at risk of being captured. At least she'd know what was happening, because although Bonnie was focusing on Damon during the mission, Elena was going to focus on Bonnie.

During their experiments with the telepathy, they had discovered Bonnie could communicate with both Damon and Elena at the same time. If she needed to dial into any other senses, she could only do it with one person, however she could still converse with both. On the other hand Damon and Elena couldn't see through each other's eyes, or even communicate without Bonnie. So as soon as Bonnie saw Damon, she was going to let Elena know, who in turn was to try and keep Dr. Maxfield occupied until they got out. Unfortunately just after Damon and Stefan left, Caroline noticed Tyler and began to walk over to him.

"Wait, Caroline." Elena growled as she yanked on Caroline's arm. "Just wait until the mission is over, then go talk to Tyler." she whispered.

"And if he comes over to talk to me?" Caroline haughtily placed her hands on her hips. "And what is he even doing here?" she asked. "He's been at college all of five minutes and he's already at the ball. Who did he come with? Or maybe he came to see me." she tailed off slowly.

" _ Damon's here and we're in place _ ." Bonnie's voice popped into Elena's head, making her jump and look around.

"Was that Bonnie?" Caroline asked as she saw the expression on Elena's face.

"Yeah." Elena frowned. "Damon's about to go in." she said. "Okay fine, go talk to Tyler now, I'll go see Dr. Maxfield and keep him occupied." she suggested. "I'll be here when you're finished." she smiled.

"Okay." Caroline nodded as she walked over to where Tyler was stood.

Elena looked over to where Dr. Maxfield was stood, made her way over to him and gave her most winning smile.

"You look like a woman on her way to the guillotine." Dr. Maxfield laughed.

"Actually, Ann Boleyn was beheaded with a sword." Elena corrected him.

"See? And that's why I teach bio." Dr. Maxfield nodded.

"And you are Abe Lincoln?" Elena asked.

"Dr. Jekyll." Dr. Maxfield told her.

"Okay. Yeah. I can see that. So, where's Mr. Hyde?" Elena frowned.

"I don't know. I am not responsible for my darker half." Dr. Maxfield replied sarcastically.

"So, would it be totally inappropriate if a student asked you to dance?" Elena smiled demurely.

"Who could refuse a queen?" Dr. Maxfield smiled. "Besides, you're not, nor will you ever be, one of my students." he said in a low voice as he swirled her around, pulled her into his arms and they began to dance.

"Major points for the dance moves, but zero points for lying on my roommate's death certificate." Elena said in a voice low enough for Dr. Maxfield to hear.

"Look. I didn't want to lie, but I couldn't exactly tell her parents a mountain lion attacked her at a frat party. I'd be fired." Dr. Maxfield told her.

"Huh?" Elena narrowed her eyes.

"Want to know my theory?" Dr. Maxfield asked.

"What's that?" Elena replied.

"I think a vampire hunted her down, ripped her throat out, and threw her off that roof." Dr. Maxfield said.

"What do you know about vampires?" Elena asked.

"Doesn't matter what I know, Elena, because we're never gonna see each other again." Dr. Maxfield told her.

"And why is that?" Elena pulled away and looked at him in the eyes.

Dr. Maxfield leaned in close and whispered into her ear. "Because there are people at this school watching you and your friends and asking questions you don't want them to ask." he said as he pulled away. "So, pack your things, drop out, and move back to Mystic Falls." he said as he tried to pull away.

"Wait!" Elena grabbed his arm very gently and stopped him.

"I think you've gotten us wrong." Elena explained. "What do you know of Mystic Falls?" she asked as they began to dance once again.

"I know your parents came from Mystic Falls, and it has previously had vampire issues." he replied. "Like I believe you are one of those issues."

"Mystic Falls has had a lot of vampire issues, I agree." Elena explained. "Which is why in 1864 they founded a council to deal with them. I happen to be on that council as a member of the founding families. That was how I recognized what had killed Megan. So maybe, the people who have been watching us, have been misinterpreting what they saw." she said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, prove it. There's a meeting on Monday." Dr. Maxfield told her suspiciously. "I'll let you know the details half an hour beforehand."

"And how do I know this isn't a trap?" Elena asked. "How do I know you won't hurt me?"

"Bring a friend." Dr. Maxfield suggested. "There will be a lot of people around. I won't exactly be able to do anything in public will I." he smirked, which Elena instantly knew was a test. She knew he wouldn't invite them in and even when they managed to walk through the door, he'd still give them vervain, when she suddenly had an idea, but she needed to run it past Bonnie, and quickly.

" _ Bonnie. Do you think there might be a way for the baby to boost my immunity to vervain? _ " she called out.

" _ I can use the baby to put a protection spell on you, which should temporarily stop you from feeling the effects _ ." Bonnie replied. " _ Why? _ " she asked.

" _ That's all I needed to know Bonnie. You're amazing _ ." Elena replied. " _ I'm just making an appointment to see Dr. Maxfield at one of their society meetings. But he's already suspicious of us, so I need the extra boost of not feeling the effects of vervain while I'm there _ ." she said.

" _ Have you got Dr. Maxfield under control at the ball? _ " Bonnie asked.

" _ Yeah. I do _ ." Elena replied. " _ Any news your side? _ " she asked.

" _ Not yet. _ " Bonnie replied. " _ Look I need to keep my mind open for Damon. _ " she said. " _ Let me know if you have any other problems. _ "

" _ Okay! _ " Elena said before turning to Dr. Maxfield.

"Elena?" Dr. Maxfield frowned as they'd stopped dancing.

"Sorry Dr. Maxfield." Elena apologized. "I've got a hospital appointment next week. I was just trying to remember what day it was, but I think it's Friday, so Monday should be fine." she smiled.

"Hospital appointment?" Dr. Maxfield narrowed his eyes. "Who are you seeing?" he asked.

"That's personal." Elena replied, realizing if she told him she was seeing Jo, he might work out why Elena was going to the hospital and would put him on the list of people who needed to be protected from the Travelers, when in fact she needed to be protected from him.

While Elena was dancing with Dr. Maxfield, Caroline had made her way over to talk to Tyler, who was sat, alone on the staircase drinking straight from the bottle. She knew she had no chance of getting back with him, and after the way he'd treated her, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to. She'd seen an ugly side to Tyler, one which she hoped to never see again. However, they shared the same friends, and she hoped that maybe, over time they could put this mess behind them, somehow become civil and maybe even friends one day, and as far as Caroline was concerned, she needed to make the first move.

"Hey...Here you are." Caroline smiled gingerly as she sat down next to Tyler. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Look, Care. I can't do this right now." Tyler shook his head and took a swig of what Caroline realized was whiskey.

"Yeah. I completely understand." Caroline nodded, but didn't move.

"Well?" Tyler asked. "What do you want?"

Caroline glanced at Tyler, trying to think of what to say. "So, it's like this." she started. "We've got a lot of mutual friends..." she started.

"Is this about Bonnie and Jeremy?" Tyler asked. "I didn't force him to take sides."

"I know." Caroline nodded. "I'm just saying, for the sake of our friends, can we just agree to be civil?" she asked.

"How?" Tyler replied.

"I don't know. We could start by apologizing." Caroline suggested. "Look Tyler, I thought you didn't want anything to do with me again. I was hurt. But I'm sorry." she lowered her eyes.

"Okay Care, fine." Tyler sighed. "I was pissed, but no excuses, okay?"

"Look. We can get past this together." Caroline said hopefully. "Okay? I just want us to be good again, you know?" she smiled.

"I said I was sorry. I didn't say I was past it." Tyler stared at her with disdain.

"Of course. Obviously. I mean, Rome wasn't built in a day." Caroline agreed nervously.

"How evolved do you think I am?" Tyler frowned. "You slept with Klaus. You slept with the guy that killed my mom. What's the fair amount of time for me to get past that? A week? A month? Tell me, what sounds right to you?" he snapped.

"Okay. You made your point." Caroline nodded. "I just wanted to make things easier."

"Look. I'm not trying to be a dick, but the idea of us being good... It's not gonna happen." Tyler shook his head. "Now, will you leave me alone so I can drown my sorrows and get as absolutely fucking hammered as is physically possible for a hybrid?" he asked.

"Understood." Caroline nodded. "But there are things you need to know about what's going on around here." she told him.

"Like?" Tyler rolled his eyes.

"You see that guy dancing with Elena?" Caroline said looking in Elena's direction as Tyler nodded. "Well the girl Bonnie and I shared our dorm with, was murdered by a vampire. And he was the one who covered it up." she told him.

"So great, they know all about vampires." Tyler sighed. "What else is new?" he asked sarcastically.

"This guy is a sadist. He tortures vampires by using them as lab rats." Caroline explained. "If he finds out about you, he'll want you as a specimen." she told him. "They had Damon held here for five years before he managed to escape. They performed really gross surgery without any anesthetic." she grimaced.

"Well thanks for the heads up." Tyler said flatly. "I'll be careful."

"Good. I do still care." Caroline smiled.

"Not enough to keep your panties on when Klaus finally got you alone." Tyler snarled. "Now leave me alone!"

"Okay." Caroline sniffed as she stood up and caught Elena's eye. "Just be safe." she said as she walked in Elena's direction.

Elena was still dancing with Dr. Maxfield when she saw a teary eyed Caroline approach.

"I'm really sorry Dr. Maxfield." Elena apologized. "But I think my friend is having an ex boyfriend crisis. Do you mind" she asked.

"Go ahead." Dr. Maxfield smiled as Elena set off to go and find Caroline. However, she'd only walked a few paces when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Elena quickly turned around only to see Aaron dressed in a tuxedo shirt.

"Hey, whatever your name is." Elena said, remembering to pretend she didn't know Aaron's name. "Nice t-shirt, understated." she smiled.

"Hey, whatever you're supposed to be." Aaron narrowed his eyes.

"Anne Boleyn, pre-beheading, obviously." Elena curtsied.

"Impressed." Aaron nodded.

"So, does a costume compliment earn me, like, a formal introduction?" Elena asked.

"It's Aaron. My name." Aaron replied. "I just wanted to say thank you."

"What for?" Elena frowned.

"The sunflowers?" Aaron said. "It was you who put them there wasn't it?" he asked.

"It was." Elena lied.

"Well that's all." Aaron smiled sadly. "I just wanted to thank you." he said.

"It's no problem." Elena shook her head.

"Well I guess I'll see you around, maybe." Aaron said as he turned to head up the staircase and leave Elena stood surprised at the turn of events. Behind her, she heard the voice of Dr. Maxfield talking to Aaron. Elena hid under the stairs to listen to their conversation.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dr. Maxfield asked.

"What?" Aaron replied.

"Give them. Come on." Dr. Maxfield told him.

"I'm fine. You know, you sound like that dad who thinks he's cool, but isn't." Aaron argued back.

"Well, I'll settle for that very uncool and mildly responsible legal guardian. Keys...Now." Dr. Maxfield insisted. At this news Elena raised an eyebrow. That explained why the Augustine meetings were held at Whitmore house, although she knew Aaron didn't know anything about vampires. However they were going to have to be careful around him, it was only a matter of time before Dr. Maxfield had Aaron on vervain. She decided to concentrate once more on the conversation.

"Can I have some money for a cab? I mean, do you manage my trust, right?" Aaron asked sarcastically.

Dr. Maxfield sighed. "I saw you talking to Elena Gilbert. Do yourself a favor. Stay away from that one." he told Aaron, suggesting he hadn't believed Elena at all, meaning she was going to have to go on Monday and hope her presence would be enough to convince the Augustine's she wasn't a vampire.

"Why?" Aaron asked, breaking Elena from her thought.

"Because, behind my very uncool exterior, I do care about you, Aaron." Dr. Maxfield said in a slightly softer tone.

"Whatever." Aaron huffed.

"Be safe." Dr. Maxfield told him.

Elena rushed out from beneath the stairs and finally reached Caroline who was trying her hardest not to cry in front of everyone, but was struggling.

"What happened with Tyler?" Elena asked.

"Tyler apologized." Caroline told her. "But he practically told me there was no way in hell he'd ever forgive me." she sobbed.

"Oh Care." Elena put her arms around Caroline's shoulders when suddenly Elena heard Bonnie's voice in her head.

" _ Elena, I think we might have a problem _ ." Bonnie said.

"Let's go find Damon and Stefan, I'm getting you out of here." Elena said.

  
  


 


	58. Chapter 58

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Stefan and Damon left Caroline and Elena at the ball under the pretense of going outside for a cigarette. Smoking wasn't allowed indoors, and although neither of them smoked, (although Damon had been known to indulge in the occasional cigar) it was as good as an excuse as any. Whitmore house was next door, so as long as they were hidden, they would be fine. However, first they needed to find Bonnie, Ric and Matt, who were all hiding out in Ric's new SUV out back. Ric opened the door once he saw them approach.

"You got everything?" Damon asked.

"Vervain grenades, vervain, gun with wooden bullets, gun with normal bullets, those mini stake wrist shooters. I think that's it." Ric replied.

Damon turned to Matt. "Are you up for this?" he asked. "I mean no offense, but you are going to be shooting humans. I don't want you chickening out on me." he said.

"You said aim for the legs and injure them only, then you'll heal and compel them." Matt replied. "They'll end up with damaged clothing and nothing more, so I think I can handle that." he nodded confidently.

"Okay." Damon replied wearily.

"Bon Bon." he turned to Bonnie as Stefan began to stock himself up with weapons. "Have you heard from Elena yet?" he asked.

Bonnie closed her eyes and focused for a moment, before opening them again. "She's just noticed Tyler." she replied.

"Yeah, I saw that." Stefan sighed. "She's probably gonna be a mess when we get back." he said.

"Well, right now that's not our problem." Damon said. "We get in, out and then you can deal with the Tyler situation." he smirked at Stefan.

"Gee thanks." Stefan rolled his eyes.

"Bon Bon here and I will be too busy keeping Enzo occupied." Damon shrugged. "Ergo you and Elena have the unwelcome task of consoling a bawling Blondie." he turned to Bonnie. "I think we've got the easier task." he smirked.

"Let's just get on with it." Bonnie sighed as they headed towards the back door of the house. " _ Dissera portus. _ " she whispered as the door to the house unlocked itself and opened.

"I love magic." Damon grinned as they climbed the steps and entered the house.

Damon led the way to the bottom of the stairs to allow him to get his bearings. He turned left into what looked like a parlor, then left again into what appeared to be a study. He walked over to a wall which was next to a bookcase and began to tap on it, giving a hollow sound until he found what he was looking for. He pushed a panel revealing a steel door with a key code to unlock it.

" _ Dissera portus _ ." Bonnie repeated the spell once more and with a loud click, the door opened revealing a darkened passageway. " _ In lumina _ ." she whispered as the lights in the passage lit up.

"Check to see if there are any cameras." Damon whispered to Bonnie, Stefan, Ric and Matt. "If so they need to be destroyed and evidence of who rescued Enzo wiped out." he said.

"I'm already on it." Stefan said as he disappeared at vamp-speed to look around the house for hidden cameras.

"Okay, so I'll go down and see if I can find Enzo." Damon explained. "When I give Bonnie the get go, then she'll give you directions." he said. "Depending on what I find will determine who goes down there. I'd be really surprised if it's only Enzo." he shrugged.

"And if there is another vampire?" Matt asked.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Damon replied, deflecting from Matt's question. "See you in a few minutes." he said as he headed into the passageway.

Within a few steps, he reached a set of stairs, which was exactly what he expected. He kept an eye out to make sure there were no hidden cameras on the wall. He listened carefully for footsteps, or the possibility of a human trying to intervene, but so far nothing. Everything was silent, and if anyone was going to try and stop him, he would have expected it to be happening early as the lights coming on should have alerted anyone who was inside to an intruder, unless they were expecting Dr. Maxfield. If that was the case, they were in for an unpleasant surprise.

Damon finally reached the bottom of the stairs where he heard a noise. He couldn't make out what it was, however he knew he needed to find out. As he got closer to the source, he suspected it was someone struggling against restraints.

"Bonnie, I think there's another vampire down here. Send Ric and Stefan." he told her. "Has Elena contacted you yet?" he asked.

"She's dancing with Dr. Maxfield now." Bonnie replied, deciding to omit the fact Dr. Maxfield was already on to them.

Bonnie turned to Ric and Stefan who had finished going through the house and not found any cameras. "Damon thinks there's a vampire down there." she whispered. "Just follow the passage and then go down the stairs and walk straight on. You'll see him straight away." she relayed Damon's path to them, when suddenly she heard a message from Elena.

" _ Bonnie. Do you think there might be a way for the baby to boost my immunity to vervain? _ " Elena asked.

" _ I can use the baby to put a protection spell on you, which should temporarily stop you from feeling the effects _ ." Bonnie replied. " _ Why? _ " she asked.

" _ That's all I needed to know Bonnie. You're amazing _ ." Elena replied. " _ I'm just making an appointment to see Dr. Maxfield at one of their society meetings. But he's already suspicious of us, so I need the extra boost of not feeling the effects of vervain while I'm there _ ." she said.

" _ Have you got Dr. Maxfield under control at the ball? _ " Bonnie asked.

" _ Yeah. I do _ ." Elena replied. " _ Any news your side? _ " she asked.

" _ Not yet. _ " Bonnie replied. " _ Look I need to keep my mind open for Damon. _ " she said. " _ Let me know if you have any other problems. _ "

" _ Okay! _ " Elena replied as they broke their connection.

"What was that?" Matt asked as he'd noticed Bonnie's face appear vacant for a moment.

"It was Elena." Bonnie shrugged. "Nothing important, she just wanted some information about the possibility of me being able to do a spell on Monday." she told him.

"Great timing." Matt chuckled.

"Yeah, I kinda told her I needed to keep an eye out for Damon." she said as she closed her eyes and focused on Damon once more.

Damon continued to edge his way to the noise, which definitely sounded like someone was struggling against something.

"Who's there?" came a voice which Damon knew not to be Enzo's, as his friend had a very distinctive British accent.

Damon kept silent as he didn't want to get mixed up with the other vampire if he could help it. The sounds were coming from a different corridor to the one where he hoped Enzo was still being held, meaning he wouldn't even need to walk past the door. Damon didn't know this vampire and had no reason to save him. He heard a noise behind him, he turned around and saw Ric and Stefan on their way over to him.

Damon put his finger to his lips and pointed in the direction of the struggling sound. Stefan and Ric's faces took on the expression of concentration while trying to identify the source of the sound.

"That's not Enzo." Damon mouthed silently.

"So what do we do?" Ric replied without making a sound.

"Leave him." Damon told them. "He's a liability." he explained without making a sound.

"Who's there?" the voice called out again, however Stefan's face took on a look of horror?

"What?" Damon and Ric asked him without making a sound.

"That's Jesse." Stefan told them. "We can't leave him." he insisted.

"Okay, just wait, we'll split into two teams." Damon sighed before closing his eyes and shaking his head in resignation. " _ Get Donovan down here _ ." Damon told Bonnie. " _ We need him with wooden bullets. The other vampire is Blondie's friend Jesse. We're going to get them both out. _ "

A moment, Matt showed up with a gun, however Stefan passed him one full of wooden bullets. As they were intending to rescue Jesse there was no point in being as quiet about it, they might even be able to use Jesse's help.

"So what's hell's going on?" Matt asked when he arrived.

"We're going to divide up into two teams." Damon explained quietly. "Hey Jesse." he called out. "Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Yeah I hear you." a frantic sounding Jesse called back. "Are you here to rescue me?" he asked.

"What happened to you?" Damon replied, not directly answering Jesse's question.

"It was Dr. Maxfield." Jesse called out to them. "I went to see him after class, he locked me up and poked me full of needles?" he said.

"How do you feel Jesse?" Stefan asked.

"I'm hungry." Jesse complained. "I don't know how long I've been down here and I haven't had anything to eat or drink."

"Okay Jesse." Ric called out. "Just hold on a minute." he said before turning to Damon, Stefan and Matt. "We can't take Matt in there." he shook his head. "It's bad enough having me who's still a relatively newbie vampire. I'm struggling to control hold the urge to feed on Matt. This Jesse guy is a brand new vamp who has no idea what he is and is starving. We need a plan B." he said.

"Is Enzo any good with controlling his blood issues?" Stefan asked.

"Fifty odd years ago I'd say yes." Damon shrugged. "But we don't know how much he's been starved since then. If he hasn't fed, he's gonna be hungry." he sighed.

"Surely they have to feed the vampires on something." Matt offered. "Wouldn't they keep a stash of blood bags down here?" he asked.

"Well Donovan, it looks like Elena has clearly been a good influence on you as you've actually had a bright idea for once." Damon smiled through gritted teeth. "Enzo." Damon called out, but there was no response. "I know you're down here. Do you need blood?" he called out, however there was no response.

"Maybe he's not down here." Stefan suggested.

"Oh he is." Damon rolled his eyes. "He's just a little pissed off with me right now. Let's just find some blood." he said as they entered the next room they found which was a lab.

Stefan turned the lights on and they started to look around, when Damon noticed a sink. He vamp-sped over to it and turned the tap on before beckoning the others to join him.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked.

"This is plan B." Damon whispered. "Can't have Jesse James hearing this little conversation." he told them. "Stefan, Donovan, I want you to rescue the newbie."

"Isn't that a little dangerous?" Ric asked.

"Not really." Damon shook his head. "I want Donovan to shoot him and Stefan can snap his neck. Hopefully by the time he wakes up he'll be back at the dorm where he and Enzo can share some of Blondie's stash from their mini fridge." he smiled. "Nobody gets hurt, which, in the meantime, frees me and Ric up to take on Enzo. Do you think you two are capable of taking on a newbie vampire between you?" Damon asked as he first looked at Stefan and then at Matt.

"Sure." Stefan nodded.

"How hard can it be exactly?" Matt shrugged.

"That's the attitude I like to see." Damon grinned, as he slapped Matt on the shoulders before reaching to turn the water off. The four of them left the room and split up. Stefan and Matt went straight ahead to save Jesse, while Damon and Ric turned right to look for Enzo.

Stefan and Matt edged their way down to where the noise from coming from. They were both armed, although Matt carried a more cumbersome rifle loaded with wooden stakes. All the way there they kept an eye out for any other possible attackers, but none came. They also checked every part of the wall, doors and ceiling for any hidden cameras, but surprisingly found nothing. Eventually they found Jesse tied to a gurney in a dimly lit lab.

"You're Caroline's friend." Jesse frowned, looking at Stefan.

"What happened to you?" Stefan asked, although neither he nor Matt made a move to untie him, however, Matt lowered his rifle and slowly took a hand gun out from the back of his jeans.

"It was Dr. Maxfield." Jesse told them. "He kidnapped me, locked me in a cell all day. And then at night, he would take me out and do experiments on me."

"Experiments?" Stefan frowned. "What kind of experiments?" he asked, expecting to hear the surgical ones Damon had been subjected to.

"I don't know." Jesse shook his head. "He would starve me and then inject me with some weird blood." he told them.

"Hmm, weird blood you say." Stefan frowned. "Has he been to see you today?" he asked.

"He was here earlier." Jesse told them. "That's why I'm tied up to this thing." he rattled his wrists against the chains. "Are you going to untie me?" he pleaded.

Matt made a move to untie Jesse, but Stefan stopped him. "What the hell?" Matt asked.

"When was the last time you had food?" Stefan asked.

"I can't remember exactly." Jesse shrugged. "Probably about three days ago."

"Matt, it's not safe for you or Bonnie." Stefan told them. "He's new, he's hungry, and I doubt Dr. Maxfield will have taught him self control yet." he sighed.

"What are you talking about being new?" Jesse looked at Stefan confused.

Stefan turned to Jesse. "What is it you want to eat?" he asked.

"I don't care." Jesse replied. "I'm just hungry."

Stefan walked over to one of the refrigerators and opened it, pulling out a blood bag and holding it in front of Jesse. "Is that what you want?" he asked as the white's of Jesse's eyes turned red and veins appeared on his face, although Stefan noticed they seemed slightly different to normal, however he shrugged of his concerns.

"What is it?" Jesse panicked.

"Blood!" Stefan told him. "You're craving blood."

"Why?" Jesse cried, fear taking hold.

"Because you're a vampire." Stefan sighed.

"There's no such thing." Jesse shook his head as Stefan's eyes changed, which simply added the extra element to fear to Jesse's eyes.

Stefan held his hands up in surrender, to calm Jesse down as his eyes returned to normal. "We're not here to hurt you, we're gonna get you out of here." he told him as he turned to Matt and looked at his hand which was holding the gun before giving him a nod to shoot.

Matt pointed the gun at Jesse, who's eyes widened with fear and shot three times.

"What?" Jesse cried.

"We're doing this for your own good." Stefan told Jesse as he vamp-sped over to him and snapped his neck, causing the new vampire's body to turn limp.

"Did we have to do that?" Matt asked as they both began to untie Jesse from the gurney.

"Well it was either that of have him attacking you." Stefan said. "We need to get him out of here, and quickly." he said.

As Stefan and Matt continued to walk straight ahead to deal with the Jesse guy, Damon and Ric turned right, in their search for Enzo. They checked along the way for hidden cameras, but they couldn't hear or spot any. They made their way down the hallway, edging closer to the cells where Damon remembered being held, in the hope Enzo was still kept in the same one. Part of him couldn't wait to see his friend again, yet part of him was dreading this reunion, as awkward questions were bound to be asked.

They came to another corridor, this time turning to the left, and dimly lit. Damon pointed in the direction as that was the section where the cells were. Fortunately vampire vision was significantly better than human sight, meaning they didn't require a torch to find their way down until they reached the final cell, where there sat a dark haired vampire with a surprised look on his face.

"Damon?" came Enzo's clipped British accent.

"Enzo." Damon smiled. "Long time no see buddy."

"Well I've got you to thank for that." Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were dead, otherwise I'd have been here sooner." Damon told him.

Enzo sighed. "Yeah yeah." he shook his head.

"Look do you want out of here or not?" Ric asked.

"Is your friend always so polite?" Enzo asked Damon.

"Enzo, Ric, Ric, Enzo." Damon gave the introductions.

"Charmed I'm sure." Enzo replied sarcatically.

"Are you sure you're friends with this guy?" Ric asked. "He seems like a real dick." he said.

"Takes one to know one." Enzo piped up.

"Thanks Enzo." Damon said through gritted teeth. "You're really making a great case for you to be rescued." he said.

"Oh don't mind me." Enzo smiled. "Just not used to this whole human interaction thing. It's been a while." he sighed. "Although I have had some company lately, but he wouldn't talk. He just cried like a baby." he shrugged as they suddenly heard three gunshots. "What was that?" he asked with a worried face.

"Jesse?" Ric looked at Damon.

"Didn't catch his name." Enzo said.

"I guess, they decided he couldn't control himself and wasn't worth the risk." Damon shrugged.

"So are you two just going to stand there all day chatting and waiting for Dr. Maxfield to come back, or are you rescuing me?" Enzo frowned.

"Look Enzo, I need promises." Damon told him.

"Can't be sure to agree to them, but fire away." Enzo said, getting up.

"How is your self-control around human blood?" Ric asked as Enzo looked at him as if he were an idiot. "I mean, you did kill that girl a few weeks back." he said.

"Well, when the opportunity presented itself..." Enzo grinned before turning to look at Damon. "Have you not told him?" he asked Damon, who shrugged. "I can survive on two drops per day, and still endure surgery." he smiled. "I doubt you'll find another vampire with greater self control than I have." he smirked as Damon nodded in agreement.

"He gave up his rations for me to help us escape." Damon explained.

"And look where it got me." Enzo sighed, alerting Damon to the fact Enzo was possibly toying with them. They were going to have to snap his neck, as Enzo couldn't exactly be trusted right now. Damon looked to Ric and tilted his head twice. This was a pre-arranged code for Damon to let Ric know to snap Enzo's neck. Ric gave a small nod in understanding.

"Well I'm here now." Damon grimaced. "Better late than never." he added.

"True." Enzo agreed. "Scouts honor I promise I will not hurt anyone during my rescue." he promised. "So, do you have the keys to this place?" he asked.

"Better." Damon smiled. "I've got a witch." he said as he closed his eyes. " _ Bon Bon, can you do your witchy spell and unlock this cell? _ " he asked telepathically.

"What's he doing?" Enzo asked Ric.

"He's asking the witch to open the cell using telepathy." Ric explained.

" _ Dissera portus. _ " Damon heard Bonnie say in his head.

Suddenly there was a loud clinking noise and sparks flew from the cell door before it opened.

"Impressive." Enzo nodded as he stepped out. "So are we going to make a dash for it?" he asked.

"Let me just check we're good to go." Damon nodded as Ric snapped Enzo's neck.

Stefan and Matt untied Jesse from the gurney. Stefan then picked Jesse up and threw him over his shoulder before heading down the hallway towards the stairs. They couldn't hear anything from the direction Damon and Ric had taken, so they had to assume everything was under control. They climbed the stairs and found Bonnie waiting for them outside the door.

"Is that...?" Bonnie started.

"Jesse?" Stefan nodded.

"Caroline and Elena mentioned he has been missing all week." she said looking horrified. "What did you do to him?" she asked, noticing the blood all over Jesse's clothes.

"I shot him." Matt told her.

"And I snapped his neck." Stefan said as he unceremoniously threw Jesse to the floor. "I had no choice." he explained to Bonnie's horrified face. "He was a threat to you and Matt. So I put him out for a while. He hasn't fed for about three days, so he should hopefully be out for at least another hour." he said. "Which is enough time to either get him to the dorm or to Damon's, whichever is easier." he said. "Speaking of which, have you heard from Damon yet?" he asked.

"They're with Enzo now." Bonnie told him. "I don't think they're going to have as many problems as they thought they would." she said. "I think he's probably just going to calmly walk out. Oh wait." she said as she closed her eyes. " _ Dissera portus. _ " she muttered before opening her eyes once more. " He's out." she said.

"Oh, that's good." Stefan frowned. "So everything is going to plan, except we have an extra guest." he said.

"I think Damon, Ric and Enzo are on their way." Bonnie told them. "Woah, harsh." she frowned with a vacant expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked.

"It sounds like they let him out of the cell as if they were just going to let him walk with them, and then Ric snapped his neck." Bonnie winced.

"Not the best way to go about making friends." Matt shook his head.

"It's for his own good." Stefan told him. "If he runs off, he's gonna get caught real quick. He hasn't been outside since the nineteen forties. The world is a very different place." he said. "He'll probably thank us later." he said.

"They're on their way." Bonnie warned them.

As if right on cue, Damon and Ric appeared with a dark haired vampire slung over Damon's shoulder.

"How did the reunion go?" Stefan asked.

"Awkward." Damon grimaced. "But he promised to be on good behavior if we got him out." he said dropping Enzo to the ground next to Jesse

"And you didn't believe him?" Stefan raised an eyebrow at the body.

"Nope, can never be too careful." Damon replied. "So I think we need to get out of here as fast as we can, and get them to the dorm, where they can wake up and then they can complain." he said.

Damon threw Enzo over his shoulder once more before he and Ric ran back the way they came, until they eventually made it out of the basement and back to the study, where Bonnie, Stefan and Matt were waiting, while Jesse was lying on the floor.

"We need to get going." Damon told them. "Enzo might be low on blood, but he's got a very high pain threshold and an excellent recovery rate. He'll be out for ten minutes at the most." he said

"Okay, let's go." Bonnie said. "It's going to take a few minutes for me to set up the dorm room spell." she said turning to the door to the basement. " _ Phasmatos lumina exstingui. _ " she said as the lights leading to the cells went out. " _ Vis porta. _ " she commanded. The door to the basement closed and locked itself.

They made their way to Ric's SUV, placing Enzo and Jesse in the trunk. Ric, Bonnie and Matt climbed in whiled Stefan and Damon vamp-sped over to the dorm, to meet them there and help unload the two lifeless bodies. Bonnie led the way upstairs to their dorm and switched the lights on. She closed her eyes and began to create the spell to ensure vampires could only get in. it was a temporary measure to last two hours at the most while Stefan and Damon returned to the ball to prevent any suspicion of them having anything to do with the escaping vampires.

As Ric and Damon were the strongest two vampires, they carried the bodies upstairs, while Stefan and Matt followed, keeping an eye out for any straddlers who were not at the ball and would require compulsion to forget what they saw. Fortunately there was nobody around, meaning they were safe. Damon and Ric placed the bodies, lying face up on top of the two of the beds. They left the room to allow Bonnie to finish the spell, and waited for her to be done.

"Now what?" Matt asked.

"You three wait here while these two wake up." Damon instructed them. "Explain we needed a cover and they are being kept hidden while we make sure nobody thinks we had anything to do with their rescue and that it's only temporary, and we should be back within the hour." he said. "Tell them there's blood in the mini fridge and point to the alcohol stash Blondie keeps. That should keep them sweet until we get back." Damon nodded.

"Okay fine." Bonnie agreed as she exited the room, leaving the door open, to watch for them to wake up.

"We shouldn't be long." Damon told them.

"Be back soon." Stefan added as he and Damon set back off to the ball leaving Bonnie, Ric and Matt sitting on some chairs opposite the dorm room door.

"So what's he like?" Bonnie asked Ric. "This Enzo guy."

"He's sarcastic, flippant, rude..." Ric frowned.

"A perfect match for Damon." Matt snickered.

"Actually not really." Bonnie frowned.

"Huh?" Matt narrowed his eyes.

"It's weird." Bonnie sighed. "Ever since I've been able to read his senses, I've gotten clues to who Damon is and what he's really like." she explained. "I can almost see the man he was before he turned."

"And?" Ric asked.

"I think the only person who truly knows him is Elena." Bonnie told them. "What the rest of the world see is a mask. He let that slip with Elena and she fell madly in love with him." she explained as suddenly she heard a noise. All three of them turned to the open door and saw Enzo sit up and rub his neck.

"Where am I?" Enzo frowned. "And who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Bonnie." Bonnie smiled. "You're in my dorm room." she added as she stood at the threshold of the door. "We've put you here to keep you hidden until Damon and Stefan get back." she explained. "We can't let anyone find out you've gone or who took you."

"Why, where have they gone?" Enzo asked.

"They were at a fancy dress ball." Bonnie told him.

"Explains the clothes." Enzo shrugged.

"They've gone back so nobody will suspect them to be the ones to rescue you." Bonnie explained. "In the meantime, there's blood bags in the mini fridge and the option of whiskey or vodka on the dresser." she informed him.

"You're not a vampire." Enzo frowned.

"No, but my roommate is." Bonnie folded her arms.

"You know something, I think I fancy something a little...fresher." he smirked as he vamp-sped to the door only to meet an invisible barrier. "What the..." he started as it dawned on him. "You're the witch." he sighed as Bonnie nodded with a smile.

"We'll move you somewhere else when they get back." Bonnie told him. "Somewhere nobody will find you, while we integrate you into the modern world. A lot has changed since you were put in that cell." she smiled. "You'll thank us for it." she added.

"I doubt that." Enzo huffed. "Swapping one prison for another." he said, looking around the room, when he noticed Jesse lying on the bed. His face turned into one of fear.

"What's he doing here?" he asked, his voice slightly panicked.

"We rescued him." Matt told him as he got up and stood next to Bonnie.

"And you are?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"I'm Matt." Matt introduced himself.

"Did you shoot him?" Enzo asked as Matt nodded. "Well then Matt, you're a crap shot. You should've aimed for the heart."

"Why would we do that if we were rescuing him?" Matt asked.

"Do you have a gun there?" Enzo ignored Matt's question.

"We left them in the car." Ric joined them. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Well the minute he wakes up, he's going to want to feed." Enzo told them.

"We know, that's why the mini fridge is stocked up." Bonnie frowned.

"But he's not just any vampire." Enzo told them. "He doesn't drink human blood." he said.

"What does he feed from?" Ric narrowed his eyes.

"Vampire blood." Enzo told them.

"How do you know?" Bonnie asked.

"Because Dr. Maxfield has been feeding him my blood." Enzo explained. "Although I don't think the poor sod knows about that part yet."

Wait a minute, I'll get Damon." Bonnie said as she closed her eyes. " _ Damon, you and Stefan need to get back here. There's a problem with Enzo and Jesse _ ." she said.

" _ What is it? _ " Damon asked.

" _ Jesse only feeds from vampire blood _ ." Bonnie told him.

" _ Well then what are you waiting for? Just stake him! _ " Damon snapped.

" _ No! _ " Bonnie insisted.

" _ Try talking him out of munching on Enzo _ ." Damon suggested.

" _ I can't. He hardly knows me. _ " Bonnie replied. " _ He won't trust me. Plus he's still out cold _ ."

" _ Fine _ ." Damon gave out a mental sigh. " _ I'll come back with Stefan. Tell Elena, get her to drag Blondie's ass over there. He has the hots for her, maybe she can talk some sense into him. In the meantime tell Enzo to get his strength up as he's gonna be on neck snapping duty until we all get there _ ." he told her.

" _ Okay _ ." Bonnie told him before opening her eyes. "Stefan and Damon are on their way back." she told them. "Damon wants you to raid the stash of blood bags in the mini fridge." she told Enzo. "He says you'll need it to get your strength as you are on neck snapping duty. In the meantime I'm going to call Elena and get her to bring Caroline, see if she can stop Jesse from attacking Enzo." she said.

"Good luck with that one." Enzo murmured. "I take it this contraption is the mini fridge?" he asked pointing to the small refrigerator and opening it without waiting for and answer before pulling out a blood bag and biting into it.

Bonnie closed her eyes once more. " _ Elena, I think we might have a problem _ ." she said telepathically, waiting a moment to decide what else to say. " _ You need to bring Caroline. We think Jesse might be a problem. _ " she said.

  
  


 

 


	59. Chapter 59

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Damon and Stefan arrived back at the dorm only a couple of minutes later while Jesse was still lying dead on the bed. Damon stood at the threshold waiting for Enzo's explanation as to how he knew about the experiment.

"So I overheard Dr. Maxfield telling someone about him conditioning the new vampire into drinking vampire blood instead of human blood." he told Damon.

"That doesn't mean he automatically will crave vampire blood." Damon told him. "My brother here..." he said pointing to Stefan, "He drinks bunny blood."

Enzo frowned. "Why?" he asked.

"None of your business." Stefan told him coldly.

"And we know of another vampire called Mikael who only fed on vampire blood." Damon said. "He didn't want to hurt humans so he opted to feed from vampires instead." he explained. "I can see the logic in trying to see if it's possible to do it, although instead of subjecting a vampire to experiments, he only had to ask." he smirked.

"Well if you're that confident, why don't you wait in here with me." Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Stefan warned Damon.

"It could be a trap." Ric added.

Damon hesitated. He wanted to show his friend he trusted him, and frankly he didn't care if Jesse lived or died, but he suspected Elena did, therefore he wanted to be careful not to hurt the new vampire. However if Jesse did only feed from vampires, he could become a problem, and Damon didn't want to take the risk. However, Damon was older, stronger, and well fed, therefore he would be faster than Jesse, meaning he would only have to worry about whether Enzo was baiting him or not. After what seemed like an eternity of inner turmoil, he decided to show faith in his friend.

"Bon Bon, should anything happen to me, you know what to do." he said to Bonnie so everyone could hear. " _ If he snaps my neck, keep him down with a witchy migraine until I'm okay. _ " he said telepathically.

"Okay, fine." Bonnie replied to both questions as Damon stepped over the threshold.

"Brave." Enzo smiled.

"Or stupid!" came Caroline's voice from behind. Damon turned around to see Elena and Caroline stood with their arms folded staring at the scene.

"Well hello gorgeous." Enzo smirked looking at Caroline. "I think I could get used to this type of captivity lark. Please tell me this is also your room." he said.

"It is!" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Well I'm quite happy to be left here with you." Enzo smiled sweetly at Caroline.

"I don't think so." Caroline shook her head.

"She's going through man trouble." Damon told Enzo. "Or should I say mutt trouble."

"Mutt trouble?" Enzo looked at Damon confused.

"Her ex is a werewolf..." Damon started.

"Wait, those things are real?" Enzo looked at everyone in surprise.

"Yeah, and don't pet one if you wanna live." Matt smirked.

"Their venom kills vampires." Damon added. "I should know." he nodded.

"And yet here you are." Enzo raised an eyebrow, understanding Damon's comment.

"Urgh." came a noise from behind Enzo as Jesse started to move. "What happened?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his neck.

"We needed to get you out of that lab quickly." Stefan explained.

"So you just knocked me out?" Jesse frowned.

"Actually no, he broke your neck and killed you." Enzo smirked.

"What the hell..." Jesse started.

"Don't worry. They did the same to me." Enzo continued. "Apparently holding us prisoner is their idea of rescuing us from being imprisoned." he said turning to Damon. "And how exactly is this going to work?" he asked.

"We're going to take you back to my place." Damon explained. "Which is a little more luxurious than this, and help you get used to the modern world." he then turned to Jesse. "And help you learn how to control your hunger." he said.

"Oh I don't know. I quite like it here." Enzo smiled. "Especially if gorgeous over there is living here." he nodded his head in the direction of Caroline.

"I'm hungry." Jesse complained.

"There's blood bags in the mini fridge." Caroline told him as Jesse pulled one out and opened it. Once he started drinking, he pulled a face in disgust.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"It tastes like fresh air." Jesse complained.

"Oh-oh." Enzo said slowly.

"What exactly does Dr. Maxfield specialize in?" Damon asked.

"Applied microbiology." Caroline told him. "Why?" she asked.

"What exactly is applied microbiology?" Damon asked.

"It's the study of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa." Jesse told him. "It includes research on the biochemistry, physiology, cell biology, ecology, evolution..." he said as he started to drink a second bag of blood.

"He did some very different types of tests." Enzo explained. "Gone are the days of simple cornea removal. Now it's all about infections."

"And how to cure them?" Damon asked.

"Well it's a bit pointless infecting a vampire if you're looking for a cure to said infection." Enzo rolled his eyes. "No, he was up to something else. Something far more sinister." he added as Damon noticed Jesse had stopped drinking from his blood bag and was now stood behind Enzo with his eyes fixated on Enzo's neck. Suddenly he noticed the veins around Jesse eyes grow, longer than what he'd seen on a normal vampire.

"Um, Enzo..." he started as Jesse's fangs descended and he threw his blood bag to one side.

"Raaaah!" Jesse roared as he bit down on the side of Enzo's neck.

Enzo's eyes went wide with shock and then pain. "Help." he gurgled. "He's kil..." he stopped unable to continue.

Bonnie closed her eyes to try and give Jesse one of her headaches but it wasn't working.

"Bonnie!" Damon cried.

"It's not working." Bonnie shook her head confused.

"Jesse no!" Caroline cried out.

"Stop Jesse!" Elena cried at the same time, but Jesse didn't listen.

Damon vamp-sped behind Jesse and pulled him off Enzo, who dropped to the floor. Jesse turned around and attacked Damon, who tried to push him off. However much to Damon's shock and horror, Jesse was significantly stronger than he was. Jesse's mouth clamped down on Damon's neck with such a force it was actually painful. He glanced down at Enzo who was struggling to get to his feet. Damon started to feel lightheaded, and knew Jesse wouldn't be able to stop until he was bled dry and dead.

"DAMON!" Elena screamed. "Jesse, Jesse, let go. Jesse! Please let Damon go." she pleaded.

"He's gonna tear my head off. Elena, please." Damon cried weakly.

Elena vamp-sped into the room, ignoring the cries of Caroline, Ric, Stefan and Matt. She tore a leg off a chair, rushed over and stabbed Jesse in the back. The vampire stopped and turned his head before his body and face turned gray and veiny, and he dropped to the floor with a thud. Elena rushed over to Damon, who had also collapsed to check he was okay.

"No! No!" Caroline screamed.

"Oh my god no." Bonnie cried.

Elena looked back over to the door where everyone stood, shocked at the turn of events. Caroline rushed over to Jesse. "No, Jesse! Jesse, come here. Hold on. Hold on." she begged. "Just stay with me, please. Jesse, just stay with me, please." she pleaded as she put his head on her lap and she started to stroke his face. "No." she cried as she looked over to Elena. "What did you do?" she asked.

"He was gonna kill Damon..." Elena started, as she looked down at Jesse's dead body as guilt washed all over her.

"You could have staked him somewhere else on his body to stop him without killing him." Caroline glared at Elena.

"And what about when he turned on her?" Damon groaned. "There are bigger things at stake with Elena." with Elena's help he sat up. "You'd be prepared to forfeit the lives of the people you care about for the sake of a guy you barely know?" he frowned in confusion.

"He was innocent!" Caroline insisted.

"He was designed to kill vampires." Enzo said, finally sitting up. "He'd have been dead soon enough. I did warn you." he sighed, getting up and swaying until he got to the mini fridge, pulled out two blood bags and tossed one over to Damon.

"Thanks." Damon smiled grimly.

"Why didn't you try and take him down Bonnie?" Caroline asked as she started to sob.

"I did. It didn't work, he was too strong." Bonnie replied, lowering her eyes.

"We need to dispose of the body." Stefan sighed.

"Well I'm going to feel really creeped out staying here tonight." Caroline shuddered.

"I'll deal with the body." Ric offered. "You stay with Caroline." he told Stefan.

"Maybe we'll go back to the ball later." Stefan suggested. "Try and deflect away from arousing suspicion." he said.

"Good call." Ric nodded.

"What about me?" Bonnie frowned.

"You're with me and Elena, helping us get Enzo settled in at our place." Damon said. "We need you to do the protection spell." he added as Bonnie nodded in response.

"And me?" Matt asked.

"You can come with me." Ric told him.

"I'll help with the body." Matt agreed. "Then I'll get my truck and go home. It's not exactly late." he said.

"Fine, suit yourself." Damon shrugged.

"Okay, so are we fine to lower the boundary spell?" Ric asked. "I'm not going to get the body out until we do." he said.

"Do you promise not to disappear?" Damon asked Enzo. "If you do, you are in serious danger from a group of particularly evil witches. And an immortal who can read your mind and make you his puppet." he warned.

"So rescuing me has put me in even more danger." Enzo rolled his eyes. "Wonderful. Can I go back to my cell now?" he added sarcastically.

"You'll be fine." Bonnie assured him.

"Okay witch, let me out of here and I promise to come quietly." Enzo smirked.

"Oh I know you will." Bonnie smiled back knowingly, as she walked into her dorm and pulled out a piece of rope from under her bed and began to tie it around Enzo's wrists.

"You do know I'm very strong." Enzo frowned.

"Oh I know." Bonnie grinned as she took the other end. "Now I want you to follow me." she said as Enzo felt his body automatically follow her.

"What is going on?" Enzo asked confused as he started to walk behind Bonnie.

"The rope makes you do what I ask you to do." Bonnie smiled.

"Ooh, clever." Enzo nodded, sounding impressed. "I can think of some very kinky uses for this." he grinned as they walked outside and to Ric's car.

"Shut up!" Bonnie snapped at Enzo.

"Hitting a nerve there I see." Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"We'll have to use my car." Bonnie sighed as she realized Ric needed his to take Jesse's body.

"I'll take care of Enzo while you drive and Elena rides shotgun." Damon suggested.

"This is a car?" Enzo raised an eyebrow at the sight of Bonnie's Toyota Prius.

"Yeah, they've evolved a bit since 1943." Damon frowned as he opened the rear door and pushed Enzo in, as the car hummed to life and they set off to the Salvatore house.

Stefan and Caroline watched Damon, Elena, Bonnie, Enzo, Matt and Ric, who was carrying Jesse's dead body, leave the room. Caroline sat on her bed and Stefan joined her and took her hand.

"You're not just upset about Jesse are you?" he asked as Caroline looked up at him and shook her head. "It's about Tyler isn't it?"

Caroline nodded. "Yes." she sobbed.

"Hey." Stefan smiled softly. "Tyler is only trying to goad you. You can't let him win." he said.

"How?" Caroline asked as her tears began to slowly subside.

"If he wants you to move on, then at least let him think you've moved on." Stefan suggested, as Caroline lowered her eyes sheepishly. "And that was why you liked Jesse, because he was someone who you could make Tyler think you've moved on with, without complications?" he asked as Caroline nodded.

"And now he's dead." she sighed. "He didn't deserve this." she shook her head. "Elena..." she started.

"Elena was protecting the man she loved." Stefan stopped her. "You'd do the same in her shoes."

"I guess." Caroline agreed.

"Why don't we go back to the ball?" Stefan suggested. "You dance with me all night. It'll really give Tyler something to think about." he winked.

Caroline thought for a moment. "Okay." she smiled. "I'll just repair my make-up and we'll get back to the ball." she said.

"I'll let Damon know." Stefan told her. "We'll see if Dr. Maxfield is still there." he said as he got out his phone and started to text Damon.

Once they'd returned to the Salvatore household, Damon showed Enzo to one of the spare bedrooms. Initially he was going to put him in a specially made cell he'd had built in the garage, however Enzo had been far more compliant than expected, and Matt wasn't staying, which meant, other than Bonnie, who Enzo would stand no chance feeding from, the house was living human blood free. Damon showed him his en-suite bathroom and how to use the multi-head shower, before leaving his friend to freshen up after what he assumed would be a long time. The vampire lab rats weren't allowed such luxury as a shower or a bath, so Damon knew this would be heaven for his friend. Damon left some clean clothes on the bed, hoping they would fit as Enzo was slightly taller than him.

Twenty minutes later, Enzo entered the kitchen and joined Damon, Elena (who had changed out of their costumes and into more comfortable clothing) and Bonnie around the island. There were a couple of blood bags waiting for him and a glass of bourbon.

"I could get used to this." Enzo smiled. "I take it this is your place." he said to Damon. "Considering I didn't need to be invited in."

"It's ours." Damon corrected him as he put his arm around Elena.

"Ah this must be the love of your life who you used to talk about." Enzo smiled. "What was her name again...Katherine?" he asked as Damon, Elena and Bonnie winced.

"I'm Elena." Elena introduced herself.

"Charmed." Enzo took Elena's hand and kissed it. "I take it you fell out with the other one." he said.

"She turned out to be a raging bitch." Damon grimaced.

"I'm Bonnie." Bonnie smiled, interrupting the conversation.

"Nice to meet you Bonnie." Enzo replied, although the sarcasm was evident in his voice, causing Bonnie's smile to drop. "So..." he looked at Damon. "I think you've got some explaining to do." he said. "You left me and it's taken how many years to find me and rescue me? I take it loyalty is not one of your strong suits." he stared at Damon with a stony face.

"It wasn't that simple." Damon protested. "I didn't see any point in both of us dying. And we wouldn't both be stood here if I hadn't left you. We'd wither be dead or both still in a cell being experimented on."

"So what happened?" Enzo asked. "How could you leave your friend to die? Are you really so callous?" he asked.

Damon looked sheepish. "I turned it off." he replied. "I knew the only way I could save myself was turning it off."

"Ah, a temporary guilt reprieve which only compounds matter when you do horrific things while the humanity is off." Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Happy days then."

"Not exactly." Damon admitted. "Took me fifty years to be able to turn it back on." he said.

"Oh the hardship." Enzo rolled his eyes. "So how did you realize I was still alive?" he asked.

"When you killed my roommate." Bonnie told him.

"Ah yes." Enzo smiled. "Filled with vervain, but I'm used to that so it didn't hurt too much." he said as Bonnie glared at him in disgust.

"We found her." Elena explained and saw the bite marks. "When the police said it was suicide, we knew something didn't add up." she said.

"So you immediately put two and two together and assumed I'd survived?" Enzo raised an eyebrow as if he didn't believe him.

Damon looked at Elena, knowing this was her decision to tell Enzo about her father. He nodded as he believed Enzo wouldn't hurt her, but ultimately it was her choice.

"We didn't." Elena told him. "We found out from Dr. Maxfield that Grayson Gilbert had been doing research." she said.

"Ah Dr. Gilbert." Enzo sighed. "A particularly nasty piece of work. Quite the fan of electrocution. Thought he could change a vampire's basic urges by frying our brains." he said as Elena winced. "Funny thing is he disappeared a few years ago. Was replaced by Dr. Maxfield."

"He died in a car accident." Elena swallowed.

"Good. Glad something bad happened to him." Enzo smirked. "Please tell me his entire family died with him."

"No I didn't." Elena snapped. "My name is Elena Gilbert. My mom and dad died in the accident." she growled, ready to attack Enzo. Damon held her back, feeling her anger flowing throughout her body.

"I'd like to say I'm sorry, but I'm not." Enzo told her. "He tortured me for over ten years. I have every fucking right to hate him!" he said angrily.

"On the plus side, it appears Grayson Gilbert had a big hand in your rescue." Damon intervened before things became ugly. "Without him, we wouldn't have known you were alive." he said.

"How?" Enzo frowned.

"We found my dad's journals." Elena said calmly. "He kept records of his experiments."

"I wondered if it were you." Damon continued where Elena left off. "We went through his journals and found your serial number." he explained. "Then we hatched a plan to rescue you."

"Okay, so I won't kill you." Enzo sighed.

"Or my brother." Elena glared at him.

Enzo took a deep breath. "Or your brother." he agreed. "But only because you helped rescue me. Unless of course you split up..." he started.

"We won't." Damon glared at Enzo.

"Well that's never a given." Enzo shook his head. "Eternity with one woman?" he laughed. "I can't see that happening. You're not the settling down type."

"You clearly don't know Damon very well." Elena folded her arms.

"On the contrary." Enzo smirked. "I probably know him better than you." he said. "The fact he left me to die should be enough for you to question his loyalty. He might mean what he says right now, but what about in a hundred years time? Do you really think he'll stay faithful?" he asked.

Damon slowly took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak. "I want you to be quiet and then tell me what you hear in this room." he said as they all went silent.

Enzo shook his head in confusion. "Heartbeats." he said.

"How many?" Damon asked.

"Five..." Enzo replied and then stopped. "But there are only four of us here." he raised an eyebrow as he turned to Bonnie. "I take it you're pregnant." he frowned before returning his gaze back to Damon. "What has she got to do with anything?" he asked.

"I'm not pregnant." Bonnie told him.

"I am." Elena stated.

"That's impossible." Enzo said, taken aback by the news.

"I'm the father." Damon told him.

"But vampires can't procreate." Enzo shook his head.

"They can when two soulmates with supernatural destinies come together, they can." Bonnie explained.

"And can't keep their hands off of each other." Damon grinned.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe you." Enzo narrowed his eyes.

"Fine!" Elena said as she reached behind her neck and removed her necklace, to reveal her swollen belly.

"Oh!" Enzo's eyes widened with shock. "That's...that's..." he started, practically speechless.

"Going to be a baby girls in a few months." Damon said proudly as he ran his hand over Elena's stomach.

"And that's why you're confident you'll be together forever?" Enzo asked.

"They're official soulmates in a two thousand year old prophesy." Bonnie explained. "It won't occur to either of them to cheat." she said confidently. "Soulmates don't cheat, especially supernatural ones." she added.

"Oh my god, how vomit inducing." Enzo rolled his eyes.

"Tell me about it." Bonnie grimaced. "But at least it serves a purpose." she said.

"Other than to make people want to throw up?" Enzo asked.

"The prophesy is about the baby stopping an evil witch bringing back every dead supernatural being from roaming the earth." Bonnie explained. "They are breaking a curse and taking down a coven of pretty nasty witches with it." she told him.

"They massacre twelve people every full moon to boost their powers." Damon said.

"Nice." Enzo nodded.

"Which is why you need protection from them." Bonnie said. "I'll need to do the spell tonight. Otherwise they might try and find you and try and Silas might try to get inside your head."

"If anyone found out we rescued you, you'll be a target." Bonnie explained. "So for the time being I'm in charge of you." she folded her arms.

"Which is why your bedroom is next to Bon Bon's." Damon smiled. "Plus it's at the other end of the house, so you won't hear anything vomit inducing." he smirked.

"What about the gorgeous blonde one." Enzo asked. "Is she coming back here?"

"Caroline you mean? Probably." Elena nodded. "But Stefan is calming her down, and then they're going to go back to the ball to see if Dr. Maxfield is still there.." she said.

"Your brother Stefan?" Enzo asked Damon who nodded. "Are they courting, him and Caroline?"

"Not yet." Damon replied. "Although they are extremely close. It's just a matter of time." he said.

"Oh well." Enzo yawned. "Story and apology over and accepted. I think it's time for bed." he said.

"For Elena and me, yes." Damon agreed. "For you and Bon Bon, not quite." he said with a glint in his eye.

"Why, what's going on?" Enzo asked, looking at everyone warily.

"Remember I told you about the crazy evil witches?" Damon asked as Enzo nodded. "You will need a spell to protect you from them, casting as soon as possible, which is why Bonnie needs to do it before you get some sleep." he insisted. "Ooh." he suddenly said, reaching for his pocket to pull out his cell phone as he'd just received a text. "A text from Stefan." he said as he read it out loud. " _ Dr. Maxfield is still at the ball. Don't wait up _ ."

"That sounds ominous." Bonnie smirked.

"You don't think..." Elena started.

"Look, I know you think town gossip is the most important thing right now." Enzo sighed. "But believe me, when you haven't had the luxury of sleeping in a real bed for seventy years, trust me, that bed suddenly becomes a priority." he complained.

"Okay, but I need to perform the spell first." Bonnie told him.

"Fine." Enzo huffed. "Let's get this over and done with." he said.

"First we need something of yours." Bonnie told him. "Go and get something you were wearing when you got here." she said. "I can use that as your talisman."

"Whatever." Enzo said as he returned to his room to get his shirt.

"Goodnight Bon Bon." Damon smiled. "Thanks for tonight." he said.

"You're welcome." Bonnie smiled back.

"Goodnight Bonnie." Elena hugged her friend.

"Goodnight Elena." Bonnie replied as Damon and Elena went to bed, leaving Bonnie all alone to deal with Enzo.

Enzo returned to find only Bonnie left in the kitchen. She was stood alone at the island with a glass of water and a candle in the middle. The candle was the talisman representing the baby, the item of clothing Enzo brought, which turned out to be a shirt, was to represent Enzo. The water was symbolic of the magic to bind the two together and form the protection required to keep Enzo safe. There was no incantation for this spell. Instead Bonnie simply needed to close her eyes and will the baby to protect Enzo from Silas's mind control. However, first she decided she needed to explain what she was doing to make sure she didn't scare Enzo.

"How long since you last saw magic?" Bonnie asked Enzo after he'd returned with his shirt.

"Since before the war." Enzo told her. "Wasn't really into the whole witch thing to be quite honest." he said. "I preferred to be a soldier. It's what I wanted to do when I was human, and once I became a vampire, I figured I'd be more useful in war than I had been before." he shrugged.

"That's pretty noble of you." Bonnie said, vaguely impressed.

"Plus there's plenty to feed on without raising suspicion." Enzo smirked.

"Oh." Bonnie's face fell.

"No blood bags back the witchy." he shook his head.

"It's Bonnie." Bonnie gritted her teeth. Finally Damon was calling her something related to her name, and now Enzo had come in and started with the silly nicknames.

"Whatever." Enzo yawned. "Can we just do the bloody spell?" he asked. "I want to get into a soft bed as opposed to a cold, hard, stone floor."

"Okay." Bonnie said as she turned to the candle. " _ Phas matos incendia _ ." she chanted as the candle lit.

"Impressive." Enzo nodded as Bonnie looked at him suspiciously, unsure whether he was being sarcastic or wasn't used to magic.

"While I cast the spell I'll close my eyes, the candle will burn brighter and the water will boil." she explained. "Don't worry, it's supposed to do that."

"Okay, go ahead and wave that magic wand." Enzo smiled.

Bonnie closed her eyes and began to perform the spell. Exactly as she predicted, the flame on the candle lit higher and the water started to bubble in the glass. Enzo looked nervously at Bonnie, who's eyes were tightly shut, apparently oblivious to how unsettling the sight in front of her was to the eye of someone who wasn't used to seeing magic. Eventually the water stopped bubbling and the flames went out. After that Bonnie opened her eyes.

"It's done." she smiled. "You are all protected from Silas's mind manipulation." she told him.

"Good." Enzo looked at her suspiciously. "Oh come on love, you know you are protecting them as much as you are protecting me." he said making Bonnie feel uncomfortable, especially as the only person she knew who used the term love was Klaus, which wasn't exactly a pleasant comparison.. "Why?" he asked.

"Because it is apparently my destiny." Bonnie smiled.

"To serve those two?" Enzo frowned. "Really? Aren't you allowed a life of your own?" he asked.

"Of course." Bonnie replied. "But sometimes we are born to have a certain purpose in life. Mine is to help protect the world from Silas and the Travelers. Once the baby is born, my role will technically be fulfilled, however Elena is my best friend. Of course I'm going to want to be there for her when she brings up her daughter. I can't wait." she smiled.

"A loyal friend then." Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"I guess." Bonnie sighed. "And you?" she asked. "You seem to have forgiven Damon a little bit too quickly for my liking." she folded her arms.

"You're very protective of him." Enzo tilted his head. "Do you have a thing for him."

"No." Bonnie shook her head. "Damon, Elena and I are linked by magic for the duration of Elena's pregnancy. The baby is extremely powerful and I had to be linked to them so it would allow me to draw down its magic. If I didn't, so much power would overwhelm Elena and possibly kill her. Through that link I've inadvertantly gotten to know Damon more than he'd have wanted me to get to know him."

"Oh yes." Enzo remarked.

"He's not a soulless monster." Bonnie explained. "He was really upset when he found out you were alive, yet at the same time he was really happy."

"Why was he upset?" Enzo narrowed his eyes.

"I think he figured death was a better option than being tortured by the Augustine's for another fifty years." Bonnie replied. "Then he felt guilty for leaving you."

"I didn't think Damon Salvatore did guilt." Enzo shrugged.

"Only when it comes to the list of people he cares about enough to die for." Bonnie told him. "And trust me, that list is very, very small. But you are on it." she smiled. "So have you forgiven Damon?" she asked.

"I suppose." Enzo sighed. "It's not going to do me a lot of good holding a grudge. He got strong enough to get me out, granted fifty odd years later..." he sighed.

"I hope so." Bonnie smiled sweetly. "Because if you're lying, I have a few little party tricks to protect my friends." she warned him. "I wouldn't want to have to use them on you. Instead I'd prefer we show you the sights and sounds of the twenty first century. It's far more fun." she said.

"You wouldn't know if I'm lying." Enzo smiled.

Bonnie walked over to Enzo and stood facing him, squaring him up. "Oh but that's where you are wrong." she smirked. "For now I'm choosing to believe you, but if I even suspect you are up to something, or are a threat to my friends, I'll do something so bad, you'll wish Damon had never rescued you." she threatened him.

"Such as?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"Oh but that would be telling." Bonnie teased. "But the moral of the story is right now I don't trust you. I want you to prove me wrong, because if you fuck with my friends, I'll make you wish you were back in that lab having your eyes ripped out." she snarled.

"Okay." Enzo agreed, taking a deep breath. "I don't mess with anyone you care about, you don't hurt me. Deal?" he held his hand out.

"Deal!" Bonnie shook it. "Nobody knows about this conversation right?"

"Nobody knows Bonnie." Enzo nodded in agreement, before deciding to change the subject. "Well I think it's time we hit the sack, don't you?" he suggested.

"Okay." Bonnie agreed. "We better leave the lights on for Stefan and Caroline." she sighed as they made their way upstairs.

"You do know being vampires, they can see in the dark." Enzo smiled as he followed Bonnie, deciding teasing her might be a fun way to pass the time.

"Shut up!" Bonnie glared at him before turning and walking into her room and closing the door.

  
  


 

 


	60. Chapter 60

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Three hours after the rescue mission, Caroline and Stefan returned to the Salvatore house. They'd returned to the party, followed Dr. Maxfield back to Whitmore house when he left, only to be confused by the short amount of time he spent there. When they saw him return to his apartment, they waited another half hour and decided he was home for the night. By this point, they decided to return to the ball and have some fun.

Stefan wasn't usually one for dancing, but as he was helping Caroline out and being a friend to her, he didn't mind spending time with her on the dance floor. He even allowed himself to enjoy it a little. This was made especially easy when Caroline introduced the additional alcohol from her little flask she'd kept inside her purse. Therefore they proceeded to get a little bit tipsy, easily taking Caroline's mind off her Tyler situation.

Caroline herself was surprised how easy it was to let go with Stefan. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't noticed how different he was with her than he was with other people, including Elena. And although she didn't know the ins and outs of their relationship, she wondered if Stefan had ever let Elena get to know this side of himself. She knew their relationship was based on a lie and a curse, but it was still sad for Stefan. That was when Caroline vowed it was her mission to make Stefan happy again. She needed a project, something to take her mind away from Tyler being a jerk, therefore helping Stefan find his soulmate. The only downside was the woman in question would have to be okay with their friendship, because Caroline wasn't giving Stefan up as a friend. He meant too much to her.

How much Stefan meant to Caroline was something she thought about on the way back to the Salvatore house. When she'd first met Stefan, she thought he was hot and had tried to come on to him. That thought alone made her blush with embarrassment. Yes, Caroline still thought Stefan was hot, but he was much more than that. He was her friend, and his appearance became insignificant once she had gotten to know him, although there were times he sent her pulse racing. Luckily Stefan was on the bunny diet and couldn't hear her reaction to him. Unfortunately, she had a feeling Damon and Elena suspected something, and in turn Bonnie too. They'd been very eager to allow her and Stefan time alone together, often forcing them into the situation. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought they were trying to match make them. The problem was they were wasting their time.

Caroline knew Damon and Elena's intentions would go to waste as Stefan's heart never really raced in her presence. He barely noticed her other than in how friends see each other. He saw her the same way he'd seen his friend Lexi, and nothing had ever happened between those two. Also Caroline was still vulnerable over Tyler, so even if he had felt that way about her, he wouldn't have done anything about it. However as they were at the ball, and Tyler was around, she and Stefan decided it was best to make sure he didn't think she was pining over him, therefore they'd agreed to dance and flirt.

Stefan hated dancing and Caroline knew that. So the fact he was doing this for her meant more to her than anything anyone had done for her recently. Even Tyler's gesture of leaving to save her seemed more selfish than Stefan dancing with her. For this Stefan had nothing to gain, whereas Tyler had gained safety. Unfortunately there was a reason Stefan hated dancing, he wasn't particularly good at it. Becoming a vampire heightened personalities, but unfortunately it didn't improve the dancing skills. But Caroline didn't care. Instead Stefan allowed Caroline to take the lead and help make up for his lack of prowess. This led to a lot of laughing, which in turn could have been misconstrued as flirting. Therefore they'd had a lot of fun.

Caroline had noticed Tyler staring at her and Stefan a few times, however after a while he'd become a permanent feature at the bar, chatting to a pretty female bartender with curly blonde hair. Caroline thought nothing of it, deciding he was trying to make her jealous. Surprisingly, Stefan's distractions were working, because she wasn't as bothered as she thought she would be.

On their way back to the Salvatore house, they'd stopped off at Caroline's dorm and picked up a bottle of vodka, which had only just lasted them long enough until they got home. By this time they were pretty tipsy, but neither of them were done with the night, and now that Caroline had decided she starting on project 'Save Stefan's Love Life' she was trying to think of ways to start. Her first idea was to get him to dance.

"Why do you hate dancing?" Caroline asked.

"Because it's boring and I'm not good at it." Stefan admitted.

"You know if you practice you could be." Caroline offered.

"Why would I want to be able to dance?" he asked.

"Because at some point in the future, you will see a woman from across the room who will take your breath away and you might need to ask her to dance." Caroline told him. "When that day happens, you don't want to be stepping on her toes and ruining her shoes." she said seriously. "So I'm going to teach you." she grinned.

"Uh-uh. Caroline, no." Stefan shook his head.

"Stefan Salvatore." Caroline folded her arms. "When have I ever backed down from a challenge?" she asked.

"You consider me a challenge?" Stefan joked as he poured them both another drink, this time it was Damon's expensive bourbon.

"When it comes to dancing, it's second only to getting you off human blood." she smirked, taking the glass Stefan offered her and drowning down the glass in one. Caroline stood up and offered Stefan her hand.

"We've got nothing to dance to." Stefan smirked.

"Fine." Caroline stormed over to the jukebox Damon had had installed.

She flipped through the selections, knowing exactly the song she was looking for. There were over a million songs on the jukebox, from every era and genre imaginable. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for as she pressed the buttons and stood with her hands out, in a gesture for Stefan to join her. Stefan raised an eyebrow as if to tell her she didn't stand a chance until the haunting guitar solo played through the speakers.

"You're playing dirty." Stefan stood up and took Caroline's hands.

"I'm doing it for your own good." she replied, wrapping his arm around her waist and taking his other hand in hers. "Now let me lead." she instructed him.

"I do actually know how to dance you know." Stefan told her.

"Well then show me." Caroline insisted as the voice of Jon Bon Jovi came floating through the air.

_Sitting here wasted and wounded_   
_At this old piano_   
_Trying hard to capture_   
_The moment this morning I don't know_

Stefan pulled Caroline closer to him as they swayed slowly to the music.

_'Cause a bottle of vodka_  
_Is still lodged in my head_  
 _And some blond gave me nightmares_  
 _I think she is still in my bed_  
 _As I dream about movies_  
 _They won't make of me when I'm dead_

Caroline pulled away and smoothed her skirt. "Ahem." she cleared her throat. "So you clearly know um...how to dance. So why do you only ever dance with me?" she asked. "You hated dancing with Elena." she frowned.

Stefan shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. I feel comfortable dancing with you I guess." he shrugged. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Because I don't like seeing you lonely." Caroline sighed.

"Caroline, I'm fine." Stefan assured her.

"But vampires have heightened needs." Caroline replied sheepishly. "I'm being a friend."

"And I've been around for over a hundred and sixty years Caroline." Stefan looked at her. "I'm more than capable of ensuring my needs are catered for if I want." he smirked.

"But you're here with Damon and Elena." Caroline frowned.

"And I don't see Elena like that at all." Stefan sighed. "It was a spell and once it broke, I just saw her like a little sister. My only feelings now, are that I am happy for them. I admit I'd love to have what they have together. And maybe one day I'll find that special person. I know that would make Elena happy because she sees me like a brother. Nothing would be weird if I brought a girl home. As long as they don't drink Damon's best stash." he winked as Caroline sighed and flopped down onto the sofa. "But this isn't about me, it's about you isn't it?" he asked as Caroline looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You can't fix you and Tyler, so you're trying to fix my love life." he cocked his head. "You forget Caroline Forbes, just how well I know you. You need to find some kind of control when everything around you is a mess." he sighed as Caroline's eyes dropped to the floor. "Come here." he said, putting his arms around her shoulders and bringing her in for a hug, while her eyes began to water. "You know I'll always be here for you, don't you?" he asked.

"I know." Caroline nodded with a feeble attempt to smile.

"In the meantime, let's just wallow together, and drown our sorrows without dancing." Stefan suggested.

"Deal." Caroline smiled and kissed Stefan on the cheek. "Here's to our future soulmates." she raised her glass of whiskey, which Stefan clinked with his own.

"And to us until we find them." Stefan agreed.

Elena woke to the sound of the shower. She opened her eyes to see Damon wasn't beside her in bed. It was fairly unusual for him to get up without waking her first and them making love, however she noticed the time was exactly twelve hours and two minutes since they fed to link with Bonnie. A smile crept to her lips as she realized he probably didn't believe he had the self restraint to keep his hands to himself so he'd opted for what was probably a cold shower.

Elena got out of bed and quietly walked towards the bathroom, hoping to surprise Damon. This was usually one of the few opportunities she would have to sneak up on him, and it was an extremely rare opportunity, which was too good to miss. When she entered the bathroom, he was stood in the huge shower, with his back to her. Like the one in Richmond, the shower in this house was even bigger than the one in Mystic Falls, although she did prefer the one in the boarding house. It brought back happy memories of them getting together and discovering each other. It was their home, and no matter how plush the pad they lived in, it couldn't match up to the boarding house, and not being there sometimes made her homesick.

Silently, Elena stepped into the shower behind Damon, who was washing his hair, and turned the dial to heat to a more appropriate temperature. Elena slipped her arms around Damon's waist and rested her cheek against his back.

"We can't." Damon whispered sadly. "Bon Bon will feel it." he said.

"No she wont." Elena murmured. "It's over twelve hours now. Admittedly only by two minutes." she told him, as she reached down and she began to stroke his wet, soapy cock, which hardened immediately, with one hand and ran the other over his chest. Elena kissed Damon's back as he sighed with contentment.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Damon asked.

"Once or twice." Elena muttered between kisses, loving the taste of his wet skin.

Damon removed her hand from his cock and spun around to face her. He'd rinsed the shampoo from his inky black hair, which was now plastered to his face in a manner which was practically begging Elena to run her fingers through it, which she did. Damon's lips found hers, while he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in tight against his body. He backed her up, until her back was flat against the tiles. Damon laced his fingers through hers and raised them above her head, all the while they continued to kiss.

Damon's mouth made it's way down Elena's jaw and to her neck, where his fangs elongated and scraped at her soft skin, drawing blood, which turned pink under the water. He licked it up before his mouth latched onto her neck, nearly sending Elena into orbit. At the same time Elena could feel Damon's erection poking into her stomach, teasing her with its potency. Elena lowered her head and bit down on Damon's neck, taking the sweet nectar of his blood, joining them in ways only they could understand and enjoy.

Elena took hold of Damon's cock and slid her hand up and down it, causing Damon to moan into her neck. In return, Damon's hand found its way between Elena's legs as he began to circle the small bundle of nerves with his fingers, sending small electric shocks throughout Elena's pussy, causing desire to burn further in the pit of her stomach. As Damon slipped a finger inside her, she nearly came, the mixture of blood and foreplay being an extremely pleasurable combination.

Damon removed his teeth from Elena's neck and his lips moved further down her body until he met the apex of her thighs. Elena stood with her legs slightly parted as she ran her fingers through Damon's wet hair, just as his mouth found her nub and his fingers found her pussy once more. Elena threw her head back against the tiles and sighed at the pleasure running throughout her body. The small electric pulses which seemed to emanate from her nub, and light the liquid inside her pussy, causing it to burn, while Damon's fingers stoked the fire building up inside her. The sensation traveled to her stomach and seemed to take over every nerve in her body until the heat in the pit of her stomach burned so hot, she knew she wasn't going to last much longer.

"Oh god Damon..." she whimpered as she felt the inner walls of her pussy clamping down of Damon's fingers.

"That's it baby, come for me." Damon whispered as Elena obliged.

"Yes...yes...aarh..." she cried as Elena's pussy began to violently spasm which spread throughout her entire body. T

he burning heat in her stomach erupted. To make matters worse, or better, Damon bit into her femoral artery and began to slowly tug at her blood, sending a burning sensation, yet at the same time her body was numb to anything other than her orgasm. She pushed her hips against Damon's mouth, desperately wanting him to drink deeper from her, but her mouth was no longer able to form coherent sentences, she just hoped her actions spoke on her behalf. Elena's back arched away from the tiles and suddenly her body became rigid as she entered the final throes of her orgasm. It was at that point Damon removed his mouth from her artery and looked up to watch her. As her orgasm slowly started to subside, Damon removed his fingers, quickly stood up and was inside her before she got the chance to register what he was doing.

Damon kissed her for a moment before picking her up and wrapping her legs around his waist. Damon lined his cock up against Elena's entrance, before gently pushing his cock inside her, stretching and filling her, until he was buried as far and as deep as was physically possible. Slowly he pulled out, almost all of the way, before slamming back into her once more, bringing a cry of pleasure to Elena's lips.

Elena wrapped her arms around Damon's neck as they began to find a rhythm. Although Elena wasn't able to move a great deal due to her awkward position, she could still tilt her hips slightly in a move she'd perfected over their time together. Morning sex in the shower was Elena's favorite, as it was the perfect way to start the day, and it was usually slightly rough, which she loved.

Their lips met as they began to pick up the pace, his cock was stroking Elena's insides to the brink of ecstasy. The heat in the pit of her stomach was burning once more and she knew she wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"Damon." she mumbled into his mouth.

Damon knew exactly what she needed. From his experience, Damon knew when Elena was ready to fall over the edge, and usually it would be around the same time as he was ready, and today was no exception. They'd had to wait too long because of the blood tie to Bonnie and they were both desperate for their release. Damon's hand slipped between them as he began to massage Elena's nub, while at the same time their mouths found each others necks, and with their fangs elongated, they began to blood share.

As soon as Elena felt Damon tugging at her blood, while she drank his, along with his feelings of love, she knew she had mere seconds. Her pussy began to contract around Damon's cock, while the heat inside the pool of her stomach boiled over. Her nub and labia experienced a delicious numbness, which allowed her body to concentrate the feeling of pleasure coming from inside. However there was a second part to her orgasm, one only vampires could ever experience. The one which consisted of her veins and nerves sharing the experience with her pussy. This in turn caused her to go dizzy with pleasure as she removed her mouth from Damon's neck.

"Oh my god...Damon...yes...ahh" she cried out as her body suddenly went rigid and her back arched away from the wall.

The spasms in her pussy milked Damon to his own release as he tumbled over the edge only moments after Elena.

"Fuck!" he cried loudly as Elena felt his warm seed inside of her.

Elena lowered herself to the floor, her legs slightly wobbly from the intensity of her orgasm. Damon was resting up against her, their foreheads touching, just so they didn't lose their connection.

"I love you." Elena whispered as she kissed Damon on the lips.

"I love you too." Damon replied.

"Do you think Enzo is on our side?" Elena asked as Damon stood up and grabbed the shampoo and turned Elena around to wash her hair.

"I don't know." Damon sighed. "But I think we ought to do everything we can to make sure he is. The more people protecting us, the better." he said.

"Well, then we ought to do everything in our power to make him not feel like he's a prisoner." Elena suggested. "He needs to be allowed a certain amount of freedom."

"We can't risk him running away." Damon warned.

"No, but Bonnie is the one meant to be watching over him." Elena said. "Maybe she can keep him close. Make sure he doesn't stray too far." she suggested.

"Is that your devious good deed for the day?" Damon laughed, as he began to lather Elena's hair.

"I guess you could call it that." Elena smiled back. "You're rubbing off on me." she said.

"It won't be long before I'm rubbing up against you." Damon whispered seductively into Elena's ear.

"Already?" she asked, surprised by Damon's speedier than usual recovery.

"You have no idea." Damon smirked.

"Well at least give me a chance to text Bonnie and tell her about Enzo's short leash." she said.

"You can text while I towel dry you." Damon agreed as he rinsed her hair under the faucet. "But you better text fast." he smirked.

Half an hour later, Damon and Elena entered the kitchen only to find Bonnie and Enzo already up. Bonnie had told them she would go ahead with their plans and delete the texts as she was going to show Enzo how to use a cell phone.

Damon and elena knew Enzo would have some questions to ask as they'd only skirted the surface the previous night as they'd wanted to make sure he had the spell placed on him. He'd not had time for questions nor had he talked about his own experiences. Instead he'd, understandably wanted to get some sleep. Now he was up wearing some of Damon's clothes, with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking at Bonnie's cell phone with absolute wonder and amazement.

"Is there anything this telephone can't do?" Enzo asked.

"It can't wash the dishes." Damon piped up, alerting Bonnie and Enzo to his and Elena's presence as he walked over to pour themselves a coffee. "Although there is probably an app for that somewhere." he shrugged.

"Good morning." Enzo smiled.

"Morning." Bonnie added.

"Good morning." Elena took hold of her coffee.

"So, you're showing Enzo the wonders of modern technology." Damon nodded. "Within forty eight hours, you'll wonder how we survived without cell phones." he sighed.

"Bonnie has promised to show me how to use a computer." Enzo frowned. "Although I do have some knowledge of what they are." he said.

"How?" Elena asked.

"Dr. Maxfield would record his findings on what looked like a typewriter with a screen. However I soon found out it was a computer." Enzo explained. "I saw him using some modern technology during his research, which is why I am familiar with certain items." he smiled.

"Oh." Elena opened her eyes in surprise.

"Did you happen to know exactly what he was researching?" Damon asked, sitting down opposite Enzo and Bonnie at the island in the kitchen.

"He was researching infections among other things." Enzo replied furtively.

"What other things?" Bonnie asked.

"He was trying to change something about the DNA make-up of vampire's." Enzo told her. "I think our example last night says everything about his work."

"He'd have to find a lot of vampires to do that to if his grand plans are wiping out the vampire species." Elena sighed.

"Not necessarily. He only had to turn someone like your friend into one of his experiments." Enzo said.

"He clearly doesn't know much about vampires." Damon shook his head. "There's an easier way to wipe them out."

"I wouldn't say that." Bonnie laughed. "We tried and failed."

"Why would you try to wipe out the vampire species?" Enzo asked.

"We didn't. It was an inadvertent consequence of trying to get rid of an annoying piece of shit." Damon explained. "Fortunately we failed." he said without any further explanation.

"So that's all he was doing?" Elena asked Enzo with a skeptical look on her face.

"As far as I know yes." Enzo told them. "If he was up to anything else, and I wouldn't put it past that piece of filth, I wasn't involved in the testing. I wasn't even completely aware about the vampire killing virus until two days ago when I overheard a conversation with a woman about it. He told her he had options other than to use me to test whether it worked." he said.

"You mean other vampires?" Bonnie asked.

"I assume so." Enzo nodded. "He's probably already onto you. Especially as you've gotten me out."

"We haven't been invited into Whitmore house." Elena told him. "Well not officially." she smiled.

"Then how..." Enzo frowned.

"I knew the owner and he was persuaded to let us in." Damon nodded.

"Well that won't prove anything." Enzo frowned.

"We're attending the Augustine meeting, they wont invite us in, but we'll be able to walk in, so all suspicion will disappear." Elena grinned.

"And then what?" Enzo asked.

"We find out what he's up to, thwart him, torture him, kill him. You know the normal stuff." Damon shrugged.

"Um, no we don't." Elena frowned. "It'll draw attention."

"Elena's right." Bonnie agreed. "This place is supposed to be a safe house. Killing a college professor who runs tests on vampires is not the brightest of ideas. Whe have no idea of whether he has connections with people who might be after us." she said.

"You mean like Silas?" Damon frowned.

"Probably not, but you never know. There are chances the Augustine's may have links beyond just testing on vampires." Bonnie said.

"My dad was an Augustine and he had links as a vampire hunter elsewhere." Elena offered. "He knew I was the doppelganger when I was a baby." she shrugged.

"How do I not know about this?" Damon asked. "And how in the hell did Grayson Gilbert find out who you were?"

"Mikael came looking for Elena when she was only a baby. Apparently he said he wanted to kill the Petrova doppelganger to prevent Klaus getting his hands on her." Bonnie told him. "That's why my mom desiccated him and locked him in the tomb in Charlotte."

"And why am I only learning about this now?" Damon asked.

"Because it was no longer relevant?" Elena shrugged.

"We only know the basics." Bonnie added. "But what it does tell us that the chances are he knows more about vampires than just their biological make up." she said.

"I could ask my mom if she knows anything." Caroline's voice reverberated through the room before she made an appearance.

"Morning gorgeous." Enzo grinned.

"Ugh." Bonnie recoiled and turned to pour herself more coffee.

"What's her problem." Enzo frowned, referring to Bonnie, as Damon and Elena shrugged and shook their heads, seemingly just as confused as Enzo.

"What happened to you and Stefan last night?" Elena asked Caroline innocently.

"Nothing." Caroline replied as she took the mug of coffee which Bonnie had just handed her. "We went back to the dance and kept an eye on Dr. Maxfield like you told us to. When he left, we followed him and came back here to have a drink." she said,

"Any suspicious behavior to report Blondie?" Damon asked. "Other than my brother trying to enjoy himself."

"Dr. Maxfield went back to Whitmore house, but was only there a couple of minutes before he left and went back to his apartment." Caroline replied.

"That's odd." Enzo frowned. "He said he was coming back later."

"Um...that might be me." Bonnie grinned. "I put a spell on the house so that he would leave and forget why he'd gone there until the next day." she said smugly. "I wasn't sure it would work, but obviously it did. Usually you need more power to draw on, usually a celestial event for that kind of magic. So I used one of the talisman instead. It must have harnessed enough power for it to work." she added. "It was only going to last for night though. He'll be back today, where he will find Enzo and Jesse missing."

"Remind me not to get on your bad side." Enzo smiled at Bonnie who smirked back.

"Where's Stefan?" Elena asked.

Caroline shrugged. "In bed I guess." she said. "We got back pretty late and ended up getting a little drunk." she admitted.

"Why?" Damon asked as Elena glared at him before turning to Caroline.

"Tyler?" Elena asked and Caroline nodded, as she and Bonnie both put their arms around her. "He's not worth it." Elena whispered. "There are better ones out their who won't treat you like crap."

"You were playing with fire dating a hybrid." Damon agreed. "I'll rip his heart out if you want." he offered with a genuine smile.

"No thank you." Caroline glared at Damon. "I think the best thing I can do is move on and let him see he's not damaged me." she said with fake confidence.

"What are you going to do?" Bonnie asked. "Steer clear of all men?"

"Seriously?" Caroline frowned. "I'm going to attend parties and sleep with random guys!" she declared.

"I don't think that's called moving on." Enzo frowned.

"And how would you know?" Caroline asked, folding her arms. "You've been stuck in a cell for nearly seventy years."

"People did have sex before I was incarcerated." Enzo said sarcastically. "I always steered clear of the ones with broken hearts. It was pointless. Never as much fun as a girl who is genuinely carefree." he smiled wistfully. "Girls who weren't desperate were always more of a challenge and much more worth the effort."

"Well I'm not desperate." Caroline huffed. "But it doesn't mean I can't flirt." she stuck her nose in the air.

"What did I miss?" Stefan asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Nothing much, other than Blondie's desire to find a way to move on and get laid without appearing desperate to the world." Damon shrugged as Elena nearly spat her coffee out at his comment. She turned her head and glared at him.

"Good for Caroline." Stefan smiled at Caroline. "I hope she's successful." he said grabbing a coffee.

"Can we leave my Tyler stroke sex life issues alone?" Caroline asked. "What were you talking about before I got here?"

Damon, Elena and Enzo stared at each other trying to remember their previous conversation, however Bonnie came to the rescue. "We were talking about how Elena's father was an Augustine and he also knew about the Originals." she said. "Which means Dr. Maxfield may know other stuff too."

"Which means we need to know what he knows." Damon said. "Just to make sure he doesn't know any undesirables."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Elena asked.

"Well, I am head of the Founders Council." Damon grinned. "Maybe you can bring your boyfriend along with you to the Augustine meeting." he suggested.

"That's not a bad idea." Stefan narrowed his eyes.

"He'll possibly know what the others knew." Enzo said.

"And what did they know?" Damon asked as everyone turned to look at Enzo.

"Quite a lot." he grinned.

"How do you know this?" Caroline asked, her voice full of suspicion.

"Super hearing my dear." Enzo grinned. "When you've got nothing better to do, you listen to the doctors gossip." he said. "I'd hear the names of benefactors, individual and groups. Like for instance..." he said turning to Elena. "You aren't Dr. Gilbert's biological daughter. You are his niece."

"How did you know?" Elena asked horrified.

"I was occasionally held in his own surgery." Enzo explained. "I remember one time his brother came to visit. He said his brother had forfeited his rights to calling you his daughter the moment he and what was her name? Ah right, I remember, Isobel, gave you up." he smirked before turning to Damon. "Imagine my surprise when I heard your name come up in their conversation. But at the moment, I'm not in the mood to divulge too much." he sighed.

"Okay, so what do you want in return?" Damon sighed.

"I'd like a day out." Enzo grinned. "I'd like to see the sights of the twenty first century before I settle into my second incarceration." he scowled.

"It's only temporary." Bonnie objected. "And it's for your own safety."

"Oh I know that love." Enzo agreed. "But a man cannot live by blood alone." he said.

"Fine, I'll do it." Bonnie agreed.

"You?" Enzo sneered.

"I'll do a binding spell." Bonnie said smugly. "If you even think to try and escape, you won't get far." she folded her arms.

"Just don't go all judgy Bon Bon." Damon sighed. "The guy's been cooped up for almost seventy years."

"I'll allow snatch, eat, erase and heal." Bonnie agreed.

"And copious amounts of alcohol." Enzo told her.

"Fine, but if you are drinking, then so am I, which means you're driving back." Bonnie scowled.

"Do you know something, I'm actually starting to like you." Enzo narrowed one eye. "So where shall we go?" he smirked.

  


 

 


	61. Chapter 61

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

The next day had been spent with Enzo going through his time with the Augustine's. He described many of the sickening surgical procedures he'd been forced to endure over the decades. For his part, Damon had struggle to listen to Enzo's story for very long. A combination of a reminder of his own suffering under the hand of Dr. Whitmore, and his guilt of not rescuing Enzo was too much for him to bear. Instead he'd sat alone in the study getting drunk, until Elena joined him. She told him they'd started to go through her father's journals, and she couldn't stand to hear what Enzo had endured from his perspective.

Other than the small blips of Damon and Elena not being able to listen to Enzo's entire story, the rest of the weekend had gone quietly while plans were being made for their little missions the following week. Damon had spoken to Liz, who'd been happy to allow him to pretend to be on a recruitment drive for assistance with the Founders Council. Damon knew Liz would be prepared to ensure Caroline's secret was kept, even if it meant outing the practically non-existent council. Bonnie was on Enzo watch, and Caroline and Stefan were planning Elena's baby shower, which had been postponed due to being busy with the Enzo situation.

On Monday morning, Damon, Elena, Stefan, Bonnie and Enzo were stood in the Salvatore kitchen getting ready for the day. Caroline was back at the dorm, while Bonnie had stayed the night as she was going to take Enzo out for the day as promised. Damon and Elena were planning to go to the Augustine meeting while Caroline and Stefan studied, or in truth, re-planned Elena's delayed baby shower for the following weekend as it had been delayed due to the mayhem which had ensued with rescuing Enzo. Stefan's apartment still looked like a mother and baby store.

"So love, where are we going today?" Enzo smiled at Bonnie, he'd been pestering her since she'd reluctantly agreed to take him out for the day.

"It's a surprise." Bonnie scowled. "She'd decided to take him for a haircut, to buy cell phone, shop for some clothes and then, depending on how they were doing for time, maybe a bar later. She figured as long as she kept him on a tight magical leash, she shouldn't have any problems with him.

"Can we go looking at automobiles?" he asked, as Bonnie and Elena both nearly spat their coffee out at his old-fashioned terminology. "Fine, cars then." he corrected himself as he saw their reaction.

"Why would you want to do that?" Bonnie frowned at the strange question.

"Maybe I want to buy one." Enzo shrugged.

"I doubt you'll find many Jaguar convertibles around here." Damon shrugged.

"Ah Damon, you remembered." Enzo smiled."Well I'm sure I can find something equally alluring."

"We don't have time today." Bonnie told him. "Maybe tomorrow." she winced at the thought of how behind she was going to get with her classes.

"What's the matter love, bored of me already?" Enzo smirked.

"I've got classes tomorrow." Bonnie sighed. "Occult studies."

"Why don't I take him?" Damon offered. "You all take that class, but I don't. Don't want you to getting in trouble with Ric for skipping his class." he said turning to Bonnie. "Bon Bon, surely you can witchy woo me together with Enzo here, so he doesn't escape too far." he suggested.

"It's not a bad idea." Elena shrugged.

"True." Stefan nodded.

"And trust me." Damon turned to Enzo. "You don't want to go car shopping with her, she drives a Toyota Prius." he chuckled.

"Should I know what that is?" Enzo looked mildly interested.

"It doesn't run on gas like a real car." Damon told him as Enzo looked surprised.

"Yes it does!" Bonnie defended her car, before turning to Enzo. "It's a hybrid, which means it runs on gas and batteries. It's far more environmentally friendly than yours." she looked up and down at Damon with distaste.

"Should I even know what that means?" Enzo shook his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say, our history with hybrids in general isn't exactly a happy one." Damon scowled at Bonnie before turning back to Enzo. "Unless of course you're Blondie." he smirked. "She slept with one."

"Do you mean Caroline?" Enzo asked.

"Ouch, Damon!" Elena glared at him.

"She slept with a car?" Enzo frowned with confusion.

"No." Damon shook his head. "She slept with the evil vampire-werewolf hybrid, Klaus." he told Enzo as he noticed Stefan's face drop before turning his back and pouring himself another coffee. 'Interesting development.' Damon thought, before turning his attention back to Enzo. "It's why she and her boyfriend, who is also a vampire-werewolf hybrid, are on the outs." he told him.

"Tyler hates Klaus." Elena explained. "Klaus killed his mom." she added.

"Oh I see." Enzo frowned. "Sleeping with your boyfriend's mothers murderer." he nodded. "That is pretty...um..." he stopped, clearly not knowing how to respond as he also noticed Stefan's response. "You know what, never mind. I don't know this particular monster. But a car that runs on petrol and batteries sounds quite monstrous to me. I think car shopping with Damon sounds like a much better plan. Sorry Bonnie." he said to Bonnie in a tone of voice which clearly indicated he wasn't.

"Fine." Bonnie sighed. "Tomorrow I'll put a binding spell on you both so you can go car shopping." she said. "But if I get wind of even the slightest little bit of mischief, you'll know about it." she warned, narrowing her eyes.

"Can you give him a headache which won't affect me?" Elena asked.

"As long as you don't feel threatened." Bonnie told her.

"Oh I won't." Elena grinned. "In fact, you have my full support to go all nuclear on Damon if he gets into trouble." she smirked.

Damon pouted and wrapped his arms around Elena. "What about you giving me your undying support for all eternity. You know like marriage and all." he said with puppy dog eyes. "Don't you trust me?" he asked.

Elena smiled sweetly. "Under normal circumstances, I trust you implicitly." Elena told him. "But you forget I know you. You teaming up with an old vampire buddy, who hasn't been acclimatized to our way of living is a recipe for disaster." she shook her head.

"Oh like when we go to a club?" Damon lowered his voice and raised an eyebrow. "I doubt Enzo and I would be getting up to anything like that." he whispered seductively as Elena's heart rate suddenly sped up, which was then joined by Damon's.

"Is there something I should know here?" Enzo asked as Damon and Elena continued to stare at one another.

"Only that Bonnie hasn't mastered a reverse privacy spell yet." Stefan groaned. "Which we are all immensely looking forward to." he said through gritted teeth, as Damon and Elena suddenly vanished from the kitchen.

"Where did they bugger off to?" Enzo frowned.

"Elena's pregnancy hormones and the baby magically link them together." Bonnie explained. "If they don't have sex like every five minutes, it could become dangerous for Damon." she said.

"Hence the need for a privacy spell?" Stefan told him.

"It's a reverse privacy spell." Bonnie corrected Stefan. "It prevents us from hearing them when they're affected by the hormones. I just haven't found out exactly what it is I need to do to block them out yet." she frowned.

"Well as you're tasked with looking after me, and I'm going to be living here; it is in my interests for you to find one, and quickly." Enzo smiled. "Therefore I will help you." he offered. "So what is this club thing they do? In fact, what type of club is it?"

"They go out to a club, feed and then have sex." Bonnie told him. "Elena needs to feed from the vein every few days. Otherwise the baby will become too strong for her." she explained. "But when they feed, it...affects them." she winced.

"Is there anything that doesn't affect them?" Enzo rolled his eyes as Bonnie and Stefan looked at each other before turning back to him, shaking their heads. "Oh, goody." he said sarcastically.

Suddenly both Enzo and Stefan looked to the ceiling as their vampire hearing began to pick up the muffled noises of sex.

"And I think that's my cue to leave for class." Stefan winced as he quickly put his mug in the sink, picked up his bag and hurried out of the door.

"What's his problem?" Bonnie frowned.

"Can we please leave?" Enzo asked awkwardly. "Like yesterday." he pleaded.

"Oh..." Bonnie's eyes widened as she suddenly understood the problem. "Sure." she nodded as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out four blood bags. "Is that enough to keep you going for the day so you don't have to eat anyone?" she asked.

"Plenty love." Enzo replied as he began to push her out of the door.

"We haven't done the linking spell yet." Bonnie suddenly stopped.

"I thought we were already linked." Enzo frowned.

"We are." Bonnie replied. "But there's too much rope for where we're going." she said. "I don't trust you and I need to keep you closer to me than I do in the house." she smirked.

"Fine." Enzo huffed. "Can we at least do the spell outside or in the car?" he begged.

"We can do it in the garage." Bonnie sighed as they left the house, allowing Damon and Elena some privacy.

Both Stefan and Caroline had finished their classes for the day. They'd tried to study at Caroline's dorm, but for some strange reason, she couldn't concentrate there. So after half an hour of failing, they opted to go to a new bar they'd discovered called the Skull Bar. It wasn't far from campus and word was it was one of the best bars around. The alcohol was decent and reasonably priced, it was clean, nicely decorated, warm and friendly. When they arrived, they weren't disappointed. The place seemed comfortable, and they noticed a few students around drinking what looked like coffee's, who were studying. Caroline sat on one of the comfortable looking the couches while Stefan took their coffee order to the bar.

Caroline got her books out and spread them across the table in front of her. As a human she'd been one of the brightest in class and she had always studied hard, not that anyone ever noticed. As a vampire, she could do everything ten times as fast and be able to memorize everything. These were the parts of being a vampire she loved. Studying was suddenly so much easier and far less time consuming, which was why, despite everything that had gone off over the last year or so, none of the vampires had had any troubles graduating with honors. Becoming smarter, was the one perk of vampirism nobody wanted to mention.

Stefan rejoined her with two latte's. He sat down and took his own books out of his bag and began to flick through them to find the right pages.

"How do you think it is going with Bonnie and Enzo?" Caroline asked.

Stefan sighed. "They seem to have a natural ability to wind each other up." he told her.

"I don't mean that." Caroline said. "I meant her introducing him to the twenty first century." she corrected him.

Stefan shrugged. "He seems smart enough, and strong, practically immune to pain." he said thoughtfully. "But as long as Bonnie has him on a tight leash he won't be going anywhere too far." he said, drinking his coffee.

They went quiet for a while as they began to study through their material, making notes along the way, while finishing off their coffee. Caroline was the one to break the silence.

"What time did Damon say he would be done at the meeting?" she asked as she looked at her phone for the time.

"He didn't say." Stefan shrugged as he looked outside and noticed the sky getting darker. "He said not to worry unless we weren't here by nine." he said as the door opened and Tyler walked in.

Caroline sighed. "Can't I go anywhere without him turning up?" she muttered as she watched him head over to the bar to order a drink.

"Ignore him Caroline." Stefan told her. "We're here to study." he reminded her sternly.

"Okay." Caroline agreed, although she continued to watch as Tyler tried to order a drink from the pretty blonde bartender, who Caroline recognized from the ball they went to on the night they freed Enzo. She looked down at her text books, but couldn't help but listen into Tyler's conversation with the girl.

" _ Hello..." Tyler looked down at the bartender's name badge. "Liv." he smiled. "Fancy seeing you again." _

" _ How can I help?" Liv replied haughtily. _

" _ Don't you remember me?" Tyler asked. _

" _ I meet a lot of people." Liv replied. "Eventually every face blends into one." _

" _ We met at the ball last Saturday night." he reminded her. "We talked for a while." _

" _ You might have talked. But I wasn't listening." she replied. _

" _ Ouch!" Tyler pouted. "I'm hurt."  _

" _ Are you just here to waste my time, or do you want something to drink?" Liv snapped. _

" _ Fine, I'll just have a beer." Tyler sighed. _

" _ I'd like to see some ID." Liv smiled. _

" _ No you don't." Tyler compelled her. _

" _ Um...yes I do." Liv nodded. _

" _ I'm twenty one and you don't need to see my ID." Tyler tried to compel her again. _

" _ I don't care how old you say you are. I'm more interested in how old your ID says you are." Liv told him stubbornly. "No ID, no beer!" she folded her arms. _

_ Tyler got out his wallet and produced the fake ID he'd once upon a time gotten from Damon which had aged him by three years. _

" _ Here!" Tyler slammed the card on the desk and frowned, confused by his inability to compel the girl. _

_ Liv looked up and smiled. "Fine. One beer it is." she said. _

Caroline looked at Stefan. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.

"Hear what?" Stefan replied quietly.

Caroline took her phone out and typed in what she wanted to tell him. She didn't want Tyler to know she'd been listening in on his conversation with the bartender.

'Tyler just tried to order a beer, but she refused him.' Caroline typed. Stefan looked at her and shrugged at her in confusion. 'He tried to compel her but he couldn't.' she wrote. Stefan looked towards the bar and then back to Caroline.

"Are you sure?" he mouthed as Caroline nodded in response.

Stefan took Caroline's phone from her and typed in a message. 'Maybe she's on vervain.' he suggested.

'I think we should let Damon know.' Caroline typed back as Stefan nodded. He took his phone from his pocket.

' _ You need to get to the Skull Bar asap. We might have a problem. _ ' It said.

"Anyway, onto the baby shower." Stefan reminded Caroline. "We need to go through this before Damon and Elena get here." he said.

"Nothing has changed since the previous plans." Caroline told him.

"Apart from having Enzo as a house guest." Stefan reminded her. "I doubt he even knows what a baby shower is." he laughed.

"Let Bonnie explain it to him while Damon and Elena are at the hospital on Friday." Caroline said. "Oh and remind me to let Matt and Jeremy know." she said as Stefan's phone pinged, signaling a text.

Stefan picked up his phone and looked at the caller ID. "It's Damon." he told Caroline as he read what it said. "They're on their way."

Bonnie and Enzo left the house so Damon and Elena could have some privacy while sparing Enzo's blushes. Bonnie performed the linking spell, meaning she could keep an even closer eye on him. They couldn't go anywhere near Whitmore college, just in case there was anyone around who might recognize Enzo, so they were heading to Richmond, which was close enough for them to get back to Whitmore if there were a problem. The previous night, Damon and Elena had agreed to simultaneously feed after Bonnie left for the day with Enzo, so that if anything went wrong at the Augustine meeting later that day, Bonnie would be able to return home quickly and raise the alert. So when Damon and Elena had gotten all amorous in the kitchen, Bonnie was the only person who was happy about it. At least they wouldn't be pining for each other later that day.

Their first stop was for Enzo to have his hair cut. It wasn't particularly long, but he'd been kept a prisoner for almost seventy years, and they weren't there to keep him well groomed. Cutting hair and shaving had been part of his routine tests. Since he'd been out, Damon had given him a shaving kit and Enzo had been borrowing Damon's clothes, but Enzo was slightly taller than Damon so the clothes weren't an exact fit. Bonnie had been given Damon's Amex black card and told money was no object, but just make sure he looked halfway decent. Damon had given Bonnie the details of the barber he'd been using while they were staying at the safe house in Richmond a few months back.

While Enzo was having his hair cut, Bonnie could take five minutes to relax, he'd talked incessantly all of the way to Richmond, criticizing everything from her driving to her car, and he was beginning to annoy the hell out of her. She couldn't wait for the day to end, which unfortunately was going to be a while as it had barely begun. The one thing she had decided upon was there was no way in hell, she was going to be taking him to a bar tonight. Her ears needed a break, even if he did had a cute accent.

Eventually Enzo returned from being preened and primped and took Bonnie by surprise. Gone was the scruffy look, instead he looked impeccably coiffured, even if the clothes he wore didn't quite fit him. His hair was short and slicked back on top, which even Bonnie had to admit gave him a look of an old fashioned hero from a black and white movie. A young swashbuckling hero like Errol Flynn, came to mind, yet he didn't look out of place in the modern world. Bonnie stopped herself from gawking and pulled herself together.

"That's better." she smiled. "You look a little more presentable. Maybe they wont think you stole the Amex card after all." she said sarcastically.

Enzo walked up to Bonnie and her heart began to race. He stared at her for a moment before a smile crossed his face.

"Well then Bonnie Bennett." Enzo smirked. "I think you should lead the way." he said as he gestured for Bonnie to lead the way.

Later that afternoon, Damon and Elena arrived at Whitmore house. Elena knocked on the door and a woman with a familiar face answered the door. Elena recognized the woman as the police officer called Diane, who'd been involved in covering up Megan's death as a suicide.

"Elena." Diane smiled. "And you are?" she looked at Damon.

"Damon." Damon replied. "Elena's fiance." he smiled.

"Dr. Maxfield invited us." Elena explained, walking in uninvited as Damon followed her.

"Welcome." Diane smiled. "Food and drink is over there." she pointed to the parlor where there were a gathering of about ten people, including Dr. Maxfield and Aaron Whitmore.

"I thought he didn't know anything." Damon whispered to Elena.

"He didn't." Elena whispered back. "Maybe this is his first time." she shrugged as she wandered over to talk to him. Aaron looked up as he saw Damon and Elena approach. "Hi Aaron, need to stop meeting like this." she joked, while Damon managed to look unimpressed.

"Hi Elena." Aaron replied without a smile. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Dr. Maxfield invited us over." Elena replied. "Why are you here?" she frowned.

"Same." Aaron replied.

"Is this your first time?" Elena probed.

"What here?" Aaron frowned. "Considering I technically own the place, no it's not." he shrugged.

"I mean at one of these meetings." Elena lowered her voice.

"Oh right." Aaron nodded as if he'd only just understood her meaning. "Yeah it is. No idea what it's about. It just seems like a lot of people eating sandwiches and drinking tea to me." he shrugged. "Not really my scene. But Wes, I mean Dr. Maxfield, told me that now I've come of age, I'm obligated to be here, whatever that means." he frowned. "So what is this meeting about?" he asked.

"We've absolutely no idea." Damon suddenly spoke. "I'm Damon by the way. Elena's fiance." he added as he possessively put his arm around Elena's waist and grinned.

"Nice to meet you." Aaron offered his hand, which Damon shook.

"You too." Damon replied, giving Aaron his most intimidating look.

"Well, I need to go mingle." Aaron said awkwardly as he went to go to talk to a woman who looked to be in her forties.

Elena watched him walk away before angrily turning to look at Damon. "What was that all about?" she snapped.

"I didn't like the way he was looking at you." Damon frowned.

"I think that's the way he looks at everyone. He looked at Caroline exactly the same way." she growled.

"Well maybe he's desperate." Damon scowled before suddenly smiling as he saw Dr. Maxfield approach.

"Elena." Dr. Maxfield smiled.

"Dr Maxfield." Elena smiled back. "This is Damon, my fiance." she sighed.

"Pleased to meet you." Dr. Maxfield held his hand out. "But outside of school, please call me Wes." he smiled.

"Pleasure Wes." Damon clasped Wes's hand and shook it. "Thank you for inviting us." he said. "Elena tells me we share, common interests and values."

"I'm glad to hear it Damon." Wes said. "These things are important to keep under control." he added.

"I completely agree." Damon nodded. "Back in Mystic Falls we had a few problems which needed to be brought under control. I'm in charge of the council responsible for that particular issue." he smiled. "Unfortunately, some of our council members were murdered recently by a professor who taught here. Professor Atticus Shane. Does that name ring any bells?" Damon asked.

"Sounds familiar." Wes frowned. "He went missing recently." he said.

"Well, we have reason to believe he was working with some, undesirable elements. Which unfortunately has left us a little...short on council members." Damon told him. "I know we should be recruiting only from founding families, but it doesn't seem the right time to be asking children to take over from the parents they just lost." he shook his head sadly. "I was thinking, maybe in the meantime, I might be able to find others who have a common interest." he said. "If you get my meaning."

"I'm afraid I have my hands full here Damon." Wes said with a fake sadness. "But if you should happen to come across some of our common interest in Mystic Falls, would it be possible to keep one or two specimens and call me?" Wes asked. "I'd love to meet them. They fascinate me." he said with a sly smile.

"Of course." Damon agreed.

"Especially a female specimen." Wes told them. "I've had chance to see a few male ones over my time, but I've never met a female. They seem very elusive." he narrowed his eyes at Elena.

Damon wrapped his arm around Elena protectively as he saw the look on Dr. Maxfield's face. Clearly Wes was still unconvinced about Elena's vampire status, meaning they were going to have to play the only card they had left.

"Why would a female be of such interest?" Damon asked.

"It would be nice to find out why one is unable to further her genes to any potential offspring." Wes said cryptically.

"Oh." Damon said as he and Elena looked at each other and nodded. "It's a good job we don't have that problem." he grinned and placed a hand over Elena's stomach, who looked back up at Damon lovingly.

Wes looked from Elena, to Damon and back to Elena.

"Are you...?" he asked Elena, who nodded.

"We found out Friday." Elena whispered. "That's why we're going to the hospital next week. To confirm it. We don't want anyone to know yet, it's a little early and it's my first." she lowered her eyes.

"Of course not." Wes shook his head. "Your secret is safe with me." he smiled a fake smile. "Congratulations." he said quietly.

"I'm thinking of letting my brother do more work with the council." Damon told Wes, so I was wandering if it was possible he and his girlfriend could come to the next meeting." he suggested.

"I'd be pleased to have them join us." Wes smiled. "We're doing another meet and greet on Wednesday if they're free." he suggested.

"I'll make sure they are." Damon grinned. "Just don't say anything about you know what." he whispered. "We want to wait until the first trimester is over. He'd be devastated if he found out and anything went wrong." he nodded sadly.

"As I say, your secret is safe." Wes assured them. "Well I need to mingle. If you'd both excuse me." he said as Damon's phone chimed, letting him know a text had arrived.

"No problem." Damon smiled and shook Wes's hand, who then shook Elena's.

"It's been a pleasure." Wes smiled back and left.

Damon took his phone out of his pocket, read the message from Stefan and frowned.

"What is it?" Elena asked as Damon showed her the message.

"I think we need to get going." Damon told her as he replied to Stefan, telling him they were on their way.

The next stop was to buy Enzo a cell phone. Damon had suggested they get the latest iPhone, but Bonnie had been concerned they were throwing Enzo in at the deep end, and should at least give him a week with an old fashioned phone which was just there for calls, texts, music and photo's. However by the time they got to the store, Enzo had already found his way around the phone and was already browsing the internet.

"Why is it called Facebook?" Enzo asked.

"I have no idea." Bonnie shook her head, knowing what was coming next.

"And why is Twitter called Twitter? And why Tweets?" he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I didn't create it so I wouldn't know." Bonnie sighed.

"And why do people use these what do you call it, social medias?" he asked.

"It's called social media." Bonnie corrected him. "We use it to connect with people all over the world. Long lost friends, people with shared interests..." she shrugged, as they walked into the room full of different phones. "Pick one." she said, folding her arms, waiting with amusement for Enzo to make an idiot of himself.

Enzo walked over to a guy who must have been in his late twenties and was clearly a sales person. The guy had a beaming smile on his face at the prospect of a sale.

"Hi, I'm Mark. How can I help you today?" Mark the salesman asked.

"I'm looking for a myphone." Enzo said confidently as Bonnie snickered in the background at his mistake.

"Your phone?" Mark raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

"Stop taking the bloody piss." Enzo rolled his eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." he snapped.

Bonnie realized Enzo was on the verge of hurting the guy, so she rushed over to intervene. "He means iPhone." Bonnie corrected him. "He's British and has a bad cold. It's sometimes a little hard to tell exactly what he says. Right Enzo?" she turned to look at Enzo smugly, who suddenly started coughing dramatically and nodded.

"Terrible cold." he spluttered.

Mark grimaced and edged back. "The iPhone's are all over here." he said as he took them to the iPhone section.

They spent half an hour going through contracts, models and colors, before Enzo settled on the most up to date model and the most expensive contract Damon's card could get them. Mark helped them set the phone up and they left the store with Enzo having one more foothold into the twenty first century. Just as they stepped out of the door, Enzo grabbed Bonnie by the arm. She turned to look at him and frowned, wondering what the problem was.

"Thank you Bonnie." Enzo smiled. "You saved me from a very embarrassing situation. Of course I could have compelled him to forget. But I very much appreciate the gesture." he said.

"You're welcome." Bonnie narrowed her eyes at the surprise reaction, as she began to wonder if maybe Enzo wasn't so bad after all.

Twenty minutes after their little chat with Dr. Maxfield, Damon and Elena reached the Skull Bar. It was dark outside when they arrived as the meeting had taken a little longer than they'd expected. By the time they arrived, the bar was getting busy as students finished their classes and were either studying or relaxing for the evening, and there was music playing in the background. As they walked through the doors, they immediately spotted Caroline and Stefan sat on one of the couches, surrounded by books. At the bar Damon spotted Tyler chatting to the pretty blonde bartender. They walked over to where Stefan and Caroline were sat, and Elena flopped down on the empty couch opposite while Damon remained stood.

"Drink?" he asked Elena.

"I'll have a bourbon." Elena smiled. "I need it after that meeting." she said.

Damon looked over to Caroline and Stefan. "Same?" he asked as they both nodded before he headed over to the bar.

"How did it go with Dr. Maxfield?" Caroline asked.

"Probably best to wait until Damon comes back." Elena replied. "But I think we've covered our tracks fairly well." she smiled. "Did you ask Bonnie to come?" she asked as Stefan shook his head, while Damon returned with their drinks.

"Did the bartender ask you for ID?" Stefan asked.

"No." Damon frowned. "Should I be insulted for not looking under twenty one?" he laughed.

Stefan and Caroline looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Tyler tried to buy a beer earlier and she asked him for ID." Stefan told them. "Tyler tried to compel her, but couldn't." he said.

"You think she's on vervain?" Elena whispered.

"Probably." Caroline replied. "But we need to keep an eye on her. If she knows about vampires, she's probably already guessed what Tyler is." she said.

"Why didn't you ask Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"This doesn't affect her." Stefan replied. "She's not exactly going to try and compel her way out of showing some ID for alcohol." he said. "It's just a heads up that we have ID when we come here and get served by her."

"Won't Tyler be able to hear this?" Caroline asked.

Damon shook his head. "It's too noisy." he replied. "I couldn't hear you talking while I was at the bar." he said. "If I couldn't hear you, Lockwolf had no chance."

"So what do we do now?" Stefan asked.

"Well, Elena and I have arranged for you two to attend one of the Augustine's meetings." Damon told them. "In the meantime we need to keep an eye out on our bartender, see if she is on vervain." he said.

"You think it could be something else?" Elena asked.

"Well if she's working tomorrow night and doesn't end up behind the bar and howling on all fours, we can rule out her being a werewolf." Damon shrugged. "Which leaves us the options of vervain or whether she's a witch."

"Maybe we do need Bonnie after all." Caroline suggested.

"Well I'm out car shopping with Enzo tomorrow." Damon reminded them. "You guys study here and see what happens. Maybe Bon Bon will be able to pick up some witchy vibe." he suggested, drinking his bourbon down.

"Is she staying at your place again?" Caroline asked.

"Depends how late she and Enzo get back from their little road trip." Damon shrugged.

"Maybe it's time we should get going." Elena suggested.

"Probably." Stefan agreed.

"Do you mind if I get some things from my dorm?" Caroline asked. "If Bonnie's staying at your place again, I don't feel safe being on my own in the dorm." she said.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Caroline, you're a..." he looked around furtively and lowered his voice. "...vampire. You can kick pretty much anyone's ass." he said.

"I know." she replied sheepishly. "But I still get scared." she said in a small voice.

"Of course you can stay." Elena said. "Can't she Damon." she glared at her boyfriend, tilting her head towards both Caroline and Stefan.

"Blondie." Damon grimaced. "You're welcome to stay any time you want."

"I'll take you back to your dorm." Stefan offered as he helped Caroline with her books."

"Thanks." Caroline smiled shyly as they put their jackets on.

Behind them, still sat at the bar, Tyler watched on as the four of them left. He knew they were up to something, he just wished he knew what it was.

  
  


 

 


	62. Chapter 62

** Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon). **

Next stop for Bonnie and Enzo was the shopping mall. It wasn't the high class stores where Damon normally bought his clothes from, but some of the shops did sell brands which she knew Damon would approve of. If there were enough of a selection of items, they wouldn't have much trouble getting his sizing right and ordering online, which she suspected Damon did, because there was no way he made trips to New York to buy the volume of clothes he owned.

Enzo seemed fascinated by the shopping mall. He walked past in wonderment at the different types of stores, especially the ones which contained electrical goods. Back at the Salvatore house, they hadn't had the chance to go through everything with him. He'd seen the TV hanging on the wall in the kitchen, but nobody had gone through what it did. They all knew he was aware of what a computer screen looked like, but hadn't gotten the heart to ask him whether he knew what a TV itself was. He'd learned what the kitchen essentials did and how to use them, they planned on getting to the entertainment packages later in the week.

Eventually they found a small men's boutique which had enough names she recognized to keep Damon happy with whatever Enzo chose. If Damon wanted to take him on a proper shopping spree, they'd need to go somewhere which had a greater range of sophisticated stores, however they were low on options.

Enzo began to browse the items of clothes on display with slight distaste. Fashions had changed since he'd been captured. He'd been allowed fresh clothes every now and again, but that was mainly because the clothes got covered with blood. He also got replacement shoes once every few years, which was what he'd been wearing. Damon had bigger feet than his and Stefan's were slightly smaller, which meant he hadn't been able to borrow any shoes. Therefore they were the first item Bonnie wanted him to look at however Enzo was more fascinated by the jackets.

"Clothing has definitely changed over the years." he nodded as he looked through the rails of sweaters. "Although I'm not entirely sure for the good, although..." he looked Bonnie up and down. "Women's clothes seem to have improved." he smirked. Bonnie rolled her eyes at his comment. "Calm down love." he said. "It was meant to be a compliment. Women didn't exactly wear the most fetching of attire before I was captured. And they certainly weren't as practical as today's clothes." he offered trying to appease her. He pulled a sweater from its rail. "What do you think?" he asked.

"If that's what you like." Bonnie nodded as Enzo shrunk back in frustration.

"Look, I'm just asking for a little fashion help here." Enzo told her. "Please." he asked nicely.

"Fine." Bonnie smiled and rolled her eyes again before going through the rails of clothing with him.

After what seemed like a torturous hour, they'd bought a selection of jackets, pants, sweaters, tee's, underwear and shoes. Enzo had compelled the assistant to take his measurements as if fitting for a suit, so they would have his exact size and be able to order items online. Once they'd finished with the fake suit fitting, they shopped elsewhere for jeans as Enzo was very specific with regarding which brand he preferred, and as they still existed, Bonnie took him to the relevant shop to buy them. After they'd stopped for a bite to eat, Bonnie thought they were about to go home as the skies were growing darker. However Enzo had different ideas.

"After all of these years being confined in a cell, I'd like to be able to at least smell good." he said.

"You want cologne." Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

"And is there something wrong with that?" Enzo asked.

"Nothing at all." Bonnie shrugged as they entered a department store which sold all of the most well known fragrances. "I'll leave you to it. I'll be over there looking at the women's things. I'm sure you can pick your own cologne, I mean your sense of smell is better than mine." she narrowed her eyes.

"Be my guest." Enzo smiled.

"Just don't eat anyone." Bonnie warned him.

"Scouts honor." Enzo grinned.

"You were never a boy scout." Bonnie growled.

"True, but I was a soldier." Enzo shrugged as he wandered off to speak to the female assistant.

Bonnie watched their interactions from afar. Enzo was flirting like crazy with the assistant, and he was clearly charming her. Withing seconds he'd got her laughing and giggling like a schoolgirl. Bonnie sighed and rolled her eyes. She had to admit Enzo was charming, when he wanted to be, and now he looked like a normal guy as opposed to someone who'd been imprisoned for seventy years, he had a certain suave sexiness, which she couldn't put her finger on. Her heart began to beat rapidly as she saw him looking longingly at the sales assistant, and a pang of jealousy hit her, causing her heart to race. Enzo must have heard or noticed, as he turned his head to look at her, narrowing his eyes in confusion. Bonnie dropped her head and pretended to look at the bottle of perfume in front of her.

Deciding her best bet was to buy something herself, to distract her away from Enzo's occasional glare, she found her usual scent and decided to buy some. She also picked up a couple of rose petal filled bath bombs to try while she was staying at the Salvatore house. Her en-suite bath was huge and it had been going to waste as she usually only got showered. An hour of a luxury bath would do wonders for the soul, maybe she could even get Elena to find her a bottle of champagne to drink while she bathed.

"What on earth are those?" Bonnie jumped as she heard Enzo's voice right behind her.

"They're called bath bombs." she told him.

"And why would you want to blow up a bath." Enzo frowned with confusion, causing Bonnie to burst into hysterical laughter.

"They don't blow up anything." she managed to finally say once she'd calmed down. "Here, smell." she said as she held it up to his nose.

"Synthetic roses." Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"You put it is your bath, it melts, fills the bath with rose petals and it smells nice." Bonnie told him.

Enzo thought about her explanation for a minute. "Why don't you just gather up some real rose petals and put them in the bath?" he asked. "They'd smell far nicer." he shrugged.

"Because roses don't always smell." Bonnie told him sadly.

"Well you're a witch, can't you make them smell?" he whispered.

"Let's just get going." Bonnie shook her head. "It's getting dark." she checked her phone, but saw the time was only just after seven. The nights were drawing in and winter would soon be around the corner.

"Damon said if I were good, you might take me to a bar." Enzo told her.

"Oh he did now did he?" Bonnie sucked her cheeks in with anger, however she had agreed to this deal, so she took a deep breath. "Just get changed into some of your new stuff and we can have a few drinks. But as you sober up quickly, you're driving." she told him. "And no feeding at the bar." she pointed at him.

"Message received loud and clear." Enzo smirked as they headed towards Bonnie's car.

Damon and Elena got back to the Salvatore house before Stefan and Caroline. Damon was wary about the new development regarding the blonde bartender. He needed as many eyes and ears on the ground as possible. So when Elena decided to lay down for a while as her feet were sore from wearing heels all afternoon, Damon decided to phone Ric to see if he knew anything.

Damon put the speakerphone on as he grabbed a blood bag from the refrigerator and poured himself a glass of bourbon. Eventually Ric answered, just as Damon was about to hang up.

"This better be good." Ric complained. "I was in the shower." he said.

"I don't know. That's why I'm calling you." Damon replied. "Tyler Lockwood went to the Skull Bar today and tried to order a beer." he started.

"You called to tell me Tyler tried to buy a beer?" Ric cried. "What do you want me to do? Call the cops? Dick!" he complained.

"No, just hear me out." Damon argued. "He tried to compel the bartender, but couldn't." he said.

"What?" Ric asked.

"He tried compelling her more than once but she still wanted ID." Damon told him.

"You think she's on vervain?" Ric offered.

"I don't know." Damon shook his head. "I was wondering if you'd heard about any vervain being around."

"Not as far as I know." Ric replied.

"Bonnie's going to go to the bar tonight to see if she's working there." Damon told him. "It's a full moon. If she's there all night, we can rule out werewolf." he said.

"Who is she?" Ric asked.

"All we know is her first name which is Liv." Damon said.

Ric went quiet for a moment. "What does she look like?" he asked.

"Curly blonde hair." Damon started. "Seems a little snooty if you ask me."

"She's in my class." Ric told him. "Liv Parker." he said.

"Which means she knows something." Damon sighed. "Well we might have to steer clear of that place if she's on vervain, just in case she wants to flavor the coffee." he said.

"Unless she's not." Ric said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Damon asked.

"I might be wrong, but I think Liv has a twin brother." Ric told him.

"So they both might be ingesting vervain?" Damon asked sarcastically.

"Twins!" Ric sighed in frustration.

"Yeah, two babies born at the same time." Damon frowned.

"Also the symbol of the Gemini star sign." Ric said.

"Oh." Damon replied as he realized what Ric was implying. "The coven were supposed to be sending someone to watch out for us. You think these are them?" he asked.

"I think we should take it into consideration." Ric suggested as Damon heard the door open.

"Stefan and Caroline are back." Damon told him. "Keep this one to yourself for the time being." he said.

"Will do." Ric agreed.

"You can go back to your shower." Damon smiled as he hung up.

Bonnie pulled up outside a bar which looked okay on the outskirts of Richmond. She'd text Elena to let her know what she and Enzo were doing, and to only get concerned if they weren't back before one. Enzo had promised they'd be back before midnight, and that he would drive as he'd be sober enough, which Bonnie didn't doubt. So the drive between shopping in Richmond and the bar, had been all about teaching Enzo how to drive a modern car on modern roads.

After initially having issues with starting the car, Enzo had no problems transitioning from driving his wartime vehicles, to a modern day hybrid. The traffic didn't seem to phase him, and his reactions were exceptionally good. By the time they reached the bar, Bonnie felt confident he could handle driving them back to the Salvatore house, as long as he had directions.

As they got out of the car, Enzo grabbed some bags from the trunk.

"I thought you'd want me to smarten up my appearance." Enzo smiled sweetly. "Don't worry love, I'll order the drinks in first." he assured her.

They got inside and found a booth to sit in. Enzo went to the bar to order their drinks and left to go to change in the bathroom. Bonnie decided to see if there were any missed calls or texts while she waited for him, but there was nothing. As she was linked to Damon and Elena, she'd been able to occasionally check in on them. Under the circumstances, as there was no sex involved, or any potential pain, Bonnie had focused on their sense of feel. If they were going about on their normal day to day business, she wouldn't notice the connection. They'd been able to master the connection to such a point where Bonnie could pick and choose how and what she would feel. Of course if Damon or Elena were in pain of having sex, then Bonnie would know straight away, however the link would wear off at nine, so unless anything major went wrong in the next hour, Bonnie was in the clear. She quickly checked in on them and noticed they were with Caroline and Stefan in the Skull Bar, laughing, so she knew everything was fine, therefore Bonnie decided she was fine to have a drink.

The waitress arrived with their drinks, although Enzo had yet to return from getting changed. She placed two bottles of beer on the table, a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. Unlike Elena, Bonnie didn't mind the taste of bourbon, it was strong yet there was a rich smoothness about it. She poured some into a glass for herself, when she heard music start to play on the jukebox. Looking up, she saw Enzo approaching her with a smile on his face. Once more, Bonnie had to make herself not looked shocked at the difference. Wearing clothes which fit perfectly, and in a style which was more suited to him, had a massive impact. He looked far more relaxed and it suited his face.

Enzo sat at the other side of the booth and poured himself a drink. "Getting stuck in already?" he nodded his head at Bonnie's glass of bourbon. "Am I that difficult to cope with for just one day?" he asked with a slightly sad look on his face.

"No." Bonnie shook her head. "I'm just letting my hair down after all of the stress of the past few weeks. It's been pretty hectic." she told him.

"Well Bonnie Bennett." Enzo smiled. "I'd like to raise a toast to the lovely lady who helped rescue me and became my personal shopper for the day." he said, raising his glass.

"Thanks." Bonnie smiled as she raised her glass and drank the bourbon down in one.

"That bad?" Enzo asked.

"You have no idea." Bonnie sighed.

Bonnie and Enzo spent the next two hours drinking and talking. Enzo told Bonnie of his life before he was captured, while Bonnie talked about her finding out she was a witch and her growing powers. However, Bonnie soon noticed the time on her phone and realized they were soon going to need to set off if they were to make it back to Whitmore before midnight.

"I think we need to head off home." Bonnie told Enzo.

"Only if you have one dance with me." Enzo said. "I haven't danced with a pretty girl for seventy years. I'd very much appreciate it as the end of a wonderful day." he smiled sweetly.

Bonnie sighed. "Fine." she nodded as they stood up and walked over to the dance floor.

Enzo took hold of Bonnie's hand, wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her in tight. "This is how we danced in my day." he whispered in her ear.

Just as he spoke his scent hit her like a truck. She recognized it, but she couldn't remember where it was from. It was as if it were a deeply buried memory of a happy place, which reminded her of home, yet she couldn't place who it was she knew who wore the same cologne. Bonnie closed her eyes and rested her head against Enzo's chest as they swayed to the music while she took in the scent she couldn't place, and realized she never wanted to let go ever again. His arms and his scent made Bonnie feel oddly safe and secure for what seemed like the first time since her Grams died. She felt him pull her in tighter and rest his cheek against her head as if she were the most precious thing to him in all of the world. For that moment, Bonnie never wanted the moment to end, she was finally home.

All too soon however, the music finished and they stopped dancing. Enzo let Bonnie go and kissed her hand like a proper gentleman, before leading her off the dance floor and back to their booth to collect their things. Bonnie set off towards her car, slightly swaying due to the buzz from the alcohol. She opened her purse and started to fish around inside to look for the keys to her car, when she suddenly heard the horn of a car beeping loudly. Bonnie looked up as she momentarily realized she'd accidentally walked into the road and there was a truck heading towards her.

Before she got time to scream, Bonnie heard a whooshing sound and everything went blurry. She felt her back hit up against something solid and a force crushing her chest. She closed her eyes waiting for the pain of impact with the truck, but none came. Instead she was enveloped in the wonderful scent she immediately from dancing with Enzo earlier. Bonnie opened her eyes and looked up as she realized he'd got her pinned up against a wall and his body was flush up against hers. Heat pooled between her legs and her heart suddenly started to race at the intimacy of their position, but couldn't say anything, other than stare at Enzo in shock.

They stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably no more than a few seconds, before Enzo broke it.

"Looking for these love?" he asked as he held her car keys up and swung them around his finger. Enzo stood back and smirked. "You know, you really should look where you are going. Could get yourself killed, and then what would happen to my magical leash." he raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you Enzo." Bonnie sighed.

"I owed you one." Enzo grinned as they started to walk over to Bonnie's car.

Enzo opened the passenger door and Bonnie flopped down inside, shaking as she realized how close she'd come to being killed by a truck. Moments later Enzo was sat next to her in the drivers seat with a look of concern on his face.

"Are you okay?" he whispered softly, pushing a stray piece of hair off her face.

"I'm fine." Bonnie smiled, as she suddenly felt relaxed at his sweet gesture. "Too much booze." she nodded.

"Get some sleep." Enzo told her firmly.

"But you don't know the way back." Bonnie frowned.

"Do you think I had my eyes closed when we left?" Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Newsflash, vampires have excellent memories. And if one ever tells you they forgot, they didn't, they just weren't paying close enough attention in the first place." he told her. "I haven't forgotten anything about our trip today. So relax love, and get some sleep." he smiled.

"Okay." Bonnie nodded and began to close her eyes but stopped. "Will you promise me something?" she asked.

"Anything." Enzo agreed.

"Don't tell anyone about me accidentally walking out in front of a truck." she told him. "They'd never let me near alcohol again." Bonnie laughed.

Enzo chuckled. "Fine. This will be our little secret." he nodded.

"Thank you." Bonnie smiled as she closed her eyes properly this time.

Within seconds Enzo heard Bonnie's heartbeat slow down and her breathing getting deeper. Her eye twitched a little and he knew she was already asleep. He fastened Bonnie's seat-belt before taking off his jacket and placing it over her to keep her warm.

"Thank you Bonnie Bennett." he whispered. "You've just given me the most enjoyable day in over seventy years. I will never forget it, and you will never know how special it was and how much it means to me." he added quietly, as he started the car and set off to drive them back to the Salvatore house.

Damon and Elena had decided to wait up for Bonnie and Enzo. Caroline and Stefan had already gone to bed for the night, leaving the two of them alone in the kitchen. It was just after eleven and Bonnie had said they'd be home before midnight. Elena had tried calling and texting Bonnie but she wasn't getting any answer, and she was starting to worry.

"Look she's with Enzo, she'll be fine, he'll keep her safe." Damon tried to reassure Elena.

"How do you know?" Elena asked. "You haven't spent much time with him in over fifty years. People change." she stressed the word change.

"True." Damon agreed. "But Bonnie helped save Enzo from the Augustine's, he won't let anything happen to her. Hes a soldier at heart, and a very romantic one. I saw that look on his face this morning. I might be completely wrong, but I think he likes Bon Bon." he told her.

"Oh you mean that type of like?" Elena nodded, realizing Damon was alluding to the fact he suspected Enzo found Bonnie attractive. "What makes you think that?" she frowned.

"There was a girl he fell for." Damon told her. "Her name was Maggie. I remember him telling me about her. She was part of the Augustine's, except she just recorded his behaviors. This was before I got there." he explained. "Anyway, whenever he talked about her, he would get this faraway look in his eyes. I've noticed that same look when he's with Bon Bon." he said. "And don't worry, he's too much of a gentleman to try anything with her unless she makes it clear she wants the same thing." Damon nodded as he wrapped his arms around Elena. "I on the other hand, want to do things with you which are not very gentlemanly." he growled into her ear, before nibbling on it.

Heat pooled in Elena's stomach as Damon lifted her up onto the island and they began to kiss while Damon maneuvered himself to be stood between Elena's thighs. His lips made their way down to Elena's breasts, as she threw her head back in pleasure, before realization that Bonnie and Enzo could walk in at any time, which made her push Damon off her.

"What?" he frowned.

"What if Bonnie and Enzo come back?" she said. "They'll be really embarrassed if they catch us having sex."

"Who said we were going to have sex here?" Damon asked. "I'm just making out with my beautiful wife to be. Once they're back safe and sound, I'm going to pick her up in my arms and carry her off to our bedroom where we can do what the hell we want." he grinned.

"You really think you can stop?" Elena raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"One word. Denver!" Damon reminded her. "Jeremy is still living and breathing." he smiled.

"Fine." Elena laughed as Damon's lips capture hers once more, however the moment they began to kiss, they heard Bonnie's car pull up outside.

"Great." Damon grimaced. "Although, on the plus side, it does mean we get to bed a little earlier." he smirked as Elena laughed and teasingly tapped him on the arm.

The car doors opened and closed while Damon picked Elena up and placed her onto a stool, before pouring them both a glass of bourbon and sitting next to her, looking as innocent as it was possible for him to look. A concerned looking Enzo walked into the kitchen carry Bonnie in his arms bridal style.

"Which one is her room?" Enzo asked quietly.

"The one next to yours." Elena replied. "What the hell happened?" she cried.

"Shh." Enzo said in a low voice. "You'll wake her. I'll carry her up to her room and you can tuck her in." he told Elena.

"Fine." Elena agreed and followed Enzo upstairs.

Enzo was the first to come back down to the kitchen, poured himself a drink and sat down next to damon. Five minutes later Elena joined them and stood with her arms folded.

"What happened?" she glared at Enzo.

"Don't blame me love." Enzo shook his head. "It was all of that driving, talking, shopping and dancing." he shrugged.

"Nothing to do with the half a bottle of bourbon she drank?" Damon raised an eyebrow.

"It wasn't quite as much as that." Enzo corrected him. "But she's a big girl and she chose to drink it, I didn't force her." he said.

"Please tell me you didn't give her any of your blood." Elena sighed.

"Now why would I have done that?" Enzo frowned.

"It's a great hangover cure for humans." Damon told him.

"No I didn't." Enzo shook his head. "I wouldn't unless it was her choice." he said.

"How very noble of you." Elena continued to glare at Enzo.

"Look, Bonnie is the last person I'd want to hurt." Enzo assured Elena. "She needed time out from her life of saving and protecting everyone. Is that so hard of a concept for you to imagine?" he asked as Elena lowered her eyes and remembered her and Damon's trip to Atlanta.

"No." she shook her head.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll offer her some blood in the morning to help with the hangover." Enzo offered.

"It's okay, I'll do it." Elena told him. "But thank you for wanting to help." she smiled as she realized Enzo was genuinely concerned about Bonnie's wellbeing.

Enzo drank his glass of bourbon down in one and placed it in the sink. "I'll get off to bed." he told them. "Don't forget we're going car shopping tomorrow." he said to Damon.

"Don't worry, I have it penciled into my diary." Damon nodded.

"Well then, goodnight you two." Enzo said as he got up to go to bed.

"Goodnight Enzo." Damon and Elena chorused together as Enzo headed upstairs to bed.

"I think you're tight about Enzo liking Bonnie." Elena said quietly as they heard Enzo's footsteps disappear.

"Told ya." Damon whispered to Elena. "I think we ought to be getting prepared for Bonnie and Jeremy to split up." he nodded with a smirk.

"You're forgetting one thing." Elena raised her eyebrow at Damon. "Just because Enzo likes Bonnie, it doesn't mean the feelings are mutual." she said.

"True." Damon nodded. "But it wouldn't do any harm for us to question them both and find out." he grinned.

Elena had stayed behind to help Bonnie recover from the hangover. After performing the linking spell, that Bonnie had gone for a shower in the hope of trying to recover from her hangover without vampire assistance, however it was of no use. So when Bonnie walked into the kitchen after her shower, still looking like she was going to throw up, Elena felt fully entitled to laugh at her best friend.

"How's the head?" she asked handing Bonnie a coffee.

"Still sore and fuzzy." Bonnie glared. "I'm just hoping I did the spell right." she clung to her head and winced with pain.

"Do you want something to help you recover?" Elena raised an eyebrow as Bonnie nodded back reluctantly. Elena bit her hand and squeezed it tight to allow some blood dribble into a cup so Bonnie didn't have to look at it. She passed the mug over and Bonnie scrunched her face in disgust.

"Bottoms up." Bonnie winced as she drank the blood quickly, before washing it down with a large gulp of coffee. Within seconds, her hangover began to disappear and her head cleared. "Wow, I can never get over how quickly that stuff works." she said. "Must be awful trying to get drunk." she frowned.

"It's expensive." Elena nodded with a smile. "How was yesterday? Or was the fact you felt an overwhelming need to get extremely drunk an indication of how badly it went?" she asked.

Bonnie thought for a moment as the day came flooding back. "Actually it was okay." she told her. "Enzo was a perfect gentleman, although he did make an idiot of himself when he asked to buy a myPhone." she said as they both burst into laughter. "But he didn't attack anyone, or even have a secret agenda." she said.

"So why get drunk?" Elena frowned.

"We went to a bar because he'd been good all day." Bonnie told her. "And we got talking. I was just so relaxed, and ended up drinking a lot more than I thought I was." she frowned.

"And then he brought you home." Elena nodded.

"We danced first." Bonnie told her as Elena raised an eyebrow. "He said he hadn't danced with a pretty girl for seventy years and he wanted to dance, so we did." she shrugged.

"And..." Elena held out her hands wanting to know the rest.

"We got our things, went out to the car and I fell asleep." Bonnie frowned, confused by Elena's reaction.

"And that's it?" Elena asked disappointed.

"What else did you expect?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know." Elena frowned. "He just seemed really worried about you last night. You scared him passing out like that." she said. "He was ready to feed you his blood then and there. I just assumed something must have happened to make him seem so concerned about you."

Bonnie thought for a moment. "I think he just felt comfortable with me." she said. "I did rescue him from being embarrassed about the myPhone incident." she shrugged, before frowning at the memory of them dancing together.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"I don't know." Bonnie sighed. "Something happened last night when we were dancing." she said. "I felt something familiar, a scent but I can't remember who it is I know who wears it." she shook her head. "But Enzo was wearing it."

Elena looked at her and smiled knowingly. "You don't think it's Enzo himself who smelled familiar?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked. "How can he smell familiar, I hardly know him?"

"That's not what I mean." Elena shook her head. "Remember the first time we tried the blood tie?" she asked as Bonnie nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't want to be reminded." Bonnie sighed.

"You said you could smell him." Elena said. "Was it the same smell?" she asked.

"I can't remember." Bonnie widened her eyes. "I can't remember how he smelled in the vision." she said, her voice had a hint of panic about it. "You don't think..." she started, not wanting to even consider what she was actually thinking.

"You said the man in the vision felt familiar, like home." Elena said. "Was it the same sensation?" she asked as Bonnie nodded gingerly. "Well, if it is him, you're going to have to call it off with Jeremy." she told her. "He's coming here on Friday, he wants to see the new baby scan."

"How can I know for certain it was Enzo?" Bonnie asked in a small voice.

"You know when I first felt something for Damon?" Elena replied as Bonnie shook her head. "When we first danced at the pageant." she told her.

"Seriously?!" Bonnie looked at Elena with shock.

"I wasn't in love with him or anything." Elena shook her head. "But there was this moment. I'll never forget it. Everything just felt right, like I was where I belonged." she told her. "And then when we danced the night of the pageant after I turned." she started.

"Isn't that the night you and Damon slept together for the first time?" Bonnie frowned.

Elena nodded. "But we danced first." she explained. "He pulled me up close and I could smell him." Elena closed her eyes and smiled at the memory. "We leaned our heads together, and I knew I was finally home. And I never wanted to leave." she opened her eyes once more.

"That's what it felt like." Bonnie admitted, deciding to omit the part about Enzo rescuing her. That was the feeling which was truly haunting her, but she couldn't tell Elena that. Instead talking about the dance would have to do.

"Then you need to end things with Jeremy." Elena said.

"You really think Enzo is my soulmate?" Bonnie frowned.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Elena smiled.

  
  


 


	63. Chapter 63

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).**

Damon and Enzo wanted to set off on their car shopping trip immediately, however for that they had needed Bonnie to get up and perform the linking spell. Because Bonnie and Enzo had returned home late from their trip to the bar and Bonnie had clearly been very drunk, Bonnie had stayed in bed a little longer than usual. So by the time Bonnie finally emerged, Stefan and Caroline had already left for college. Once the linking spell was done, Damon and Enzo quickly left the house to go find Enzo a suitable car.

They'd been driving for about half an hour in silence, which had started to concern Damon. Enzo stared out of the window as if in a world of his own. This shopping trip had been Enzo's idea, and the previous day, he'd been excited about it. But ever since he got back from his shopping trip with Bonnie, Enzo had seemed a little off. And although damom suspected he knew the reason why, to ensure the day went well, he decided to confront the issue with Enzo before they started to look at cars.

"Okay, you want to spill?" Damon asked. "You've been miserable since you got back last night. What's eating you? I know Bon Bon can be a little judgy, but deep down she's got a good heart." he said.

Enzo sighed. "Nothing really." he shook his head.

"This is me you're talking to." Damon glared at his friend. "One minute you were all excited to go car shopping, now you're downright miserable. What happened yesterday?" he asked. "And be truthful."

"We went shopping and to a bar." Enzo shrugged.

"That's all?" Damon frowned. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Like what?" Enzo snapped, which made Damon smile inwardly. Clearly his friend had become fond of Bonnie already.

"You seemed concerned when you got home last night." Damon replied with a straight face. "Did you do something to hurt her?" he asked. "Or did she give you a witchy migraine? She does that a lot. It's her greeting card to vampires." he teased.

"Of course not." Enzo frowned. "She just had a little too much to drink, that's all. She just doesn't know her limits." he shrugged.

"Doesn't sound like the Bon Bon I know." Damon sighed. "She doesn't usually drink much because she knows her limits." he said. "So how did you manage to get her to loosen up?" he asked.

"Maybe she felt relaxed around me." Enzo suggested.

"You mean you charmed her so you could get into her panties?" Damon snorted.

"Don't be ridiculous." Enzo snapped.

"Fine. Whatever man." Damon smiled, knowing he was getting under Enzo's skin. "But if you did happen to think about going in that direction, I think you should know she's dating a vampire hunter. Elena's little brother to be precise." he told him.

"Oh." Enzo said, sounding far more dejected than Damon suspected he'd wanted to let on, so he decided to go easy on him. "Although I don't think it's going to last much longer between them." Damon told him. "Bonnie had a strange premonition a couple of weeks back about meeting someone. It basically confirmed Jeremy isn't 'the one'." he said. "They haven't seen each other since." he told Enzo, who was listening intently.

"Good for them." Enzo said nonchalantly.

"Oh come on Enzo." Damon groaned. "There's something else. What is it?" he asked.

"Okay Damon, here it is." Enzo snapped. "Last night I danced with a pretty girl for the first time in seventy years. I really enjoyed it and it made me feel angry about all of the lost years the Augustine's took from me." he said angrily.

"Ah." Damon nodded in understanding, although he did take note Enzo called Bonnie pretty. Damon himself had never noticed it because he only had eyes for Elena.

Ten minutes later, Damon pulled into a the parking lot of a car showroom. He and Enzo got out and began to browse the new and used cars around them. After an hour of looking round, Enzo hadn't seen anything he liked.

"You're not going to get a vintage Jaguar convertible around these parts." Damon sighed as he saw the disappointed look on Enzo's face. "You're going to have to a rethink." he said.

"Well I'm only buying what was around before I was captured!" Enzo stated.

"There's not many of those left." Damon frowned.

"I'm British and I just would prefer a good British car." Enzo explained. "We make the best cars in the world." he added proudly.

"I don't think many of the ones you know still exist as British cars." Damon told him. "The car manufacturing industry has changed a lot since the 1940's."

"Rolls Royce?" Enzo raised an eyebrow. "Do they still exist?"

Damon thought for a moment. "Yes, but they're now German." he said.

"Bentley?" Enzo asked.

"Again German." Damon replied.

"Let me guess, Jags are also German." Enzo sighed.

"Indian actually." Damon nodded.

"What about Aston Martin?" Enzo asked.

"Now they are still British." Damon smiled. "But if you want one of those, you're either going to have to find Katherine Pierce, and steal hers, which I wouldn't recommend as she's being held by the Originals; or you'd need to order one, which will take months for you to get." he told him. "I don't mind paying for it, but you'll be waiting a while."

"Looks like I'm lacking in my patriotic choice." Enzo frowned. "What about Mercedes?" he asked.

"They've always been German." Damon shook his head in confusion.

"I know that." Enzo rolled his eyes. "But they were good cars back before I was captured. Is that still the case?" he asked.

"Yeah they are." Damon nodded. "Let's see what we can find." he said.

After a whole afternoon of searching and visiting five different used car dealerships, Enzo eventually found something which caught his eye, a 1972 Mercedes 250 sedan, which he promptly decided he wanted, although Damon had his reservations.

"You want that one?" Damon asked perplexed by his choice.

"It looks good." Enzo started.

"But it's..." Damon looked at it carefully. "Beige." he said.

"And?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"It's beige!" Damon reiterated, not knowing what else to say.

"It's a Mercedes Damon. You know good car and all." Enzo shrugged.

"But it's...beige." Damon frowned. "Look, we'll find another one, just not...beige." he looked in disgust.

"At least it's not baby blue." Enzo mocked.

"I really wish I could break Bon Bon's spell right now." Damon said through gritted teeth. "Otherwise you'd be walking." he glared. "Don't ever insult my car!" he said.

"I'd be able to drive mine instead." Enzo grinned.

"Let's just buy the damned thing." Damon growled as they found one of the sales assistants.

After Bonnie's almost confession, Elena decided it was time for a girl day. They didn't have a class that day, which in Elena's eyes was code for shopping trip. Although the pretense was to buy for herself, Elena wanted Bonnie to feel good, which meant she was going to splash out a little on her friend. She knew Damon wouldn't mind, especially if it would be of some benefit to Enzo as Damon was doing everything he could to make up for the last fifty years of incarceration. If that meant Bonnie looking hot and sexy, Damon would be okay with using his money for it, even if he didn't actually notice Bonnie's appearance. On the other hand, Elena knew Bonnie wouldn't be too sure, so Elena said nothing until they arrived at their first destination.

"A hair stylist?" Bonnie placed her hands on her hips. "Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's time to cast off out Mystic Falls high school look and embrace being adults." Elena exclaimed with a fist pump.

"And what did Caroline say?" Bonnie frowned. "I cant imagine she'd let us do this alone. Doesn't she want a new style?" she asked.

"She just wanted some new curling irons." Elena told her. "She's given me the make and model to get her." she shrugged.

"Umm...Look Elena, I don't know about this." Bonnie said hesitantly. "What if I don't like it?" she asked.

"Hair grows back." Elena sighed. "You don't have to do anything drastic. See what the stylist suggests." she offered.

"Fine." Bonnie sighed. "You win." she said.

Half an hour later the car had been bought, paid for and a delivery had been compelled, along with them to have no memory of the delivery address afterwards. On the way back they stopped off at a bar for a drink and a bite to eat. They found a booth and a pretty waitress for them to compel to sit with them so Enzo could have fresh blood. To make sure he kept her close, Enzo had the waitress sat on his knee while he gently fed from her wrist.

"You want to share?" Enzo asked offering the waitress's other wrist to Damon who shook his head. Enzo looked at the girl's name tag. "Young Leslie here is, delicious. Aren't you love." he smiled as she smiled back blankly.

"Can't be sure how it will affect Elena and the baby." Damon sighed.

"You really are whipped mate." Enzo shook his head in dismay.

"I've got everything I want but don't deserve in my life." Damon smiled. "A little abstinence for a few months is worth it." he said. "Anyway, it's not like I don't frequently feed from fresh blood." he added.

"Will I be able to come to the club this time?" Enzo asked.

"As long as you can keep your hands away from Bon Bon." Damon smirked. "Her boyfriend is in town over the weekend. He's here for Elena's secret baby shower." he said.

Enzo looked confused. "How can the baby have a shower this weekend?" he asked. "It's not even been born yet?" he frowned.

"A baby shower is a party where people give gifts to the expectant mother and play games." Damon frowned.

"Sounds enthralling." Enzo replied sarcastically.

"There will be plenty of booze." Damon offered. "We'll be going to a club later." he said.

"So if I'm a good boy at the party, I get to go to the club after?" Enzo asked.

"I can't see why not." Damon shrugged. "It's not like we stay in the area. You won't be recognized." he smiled. "Just don't tell Elena about the baby shower. It's meant to be a surprise. Blondie's organizing it." he sighed.

"Which means it will go off with military precision." Enzo nodded.

"And trust me, you do not want to get on her bad side." Damon shook his head. "Newbie or not, when she'd pissed, she can kick ass. I underestimated her once. I've never done it since." he chuckled.

"So you think I should stay away from Bonnie while the boyfriend is around?" Enzo asked.

"He's a hunter, one of the five." Damon explained.

"Means nothing to me." Enzo shrugged. "Should I know what that is?" he asked.

"He's a super hunter." Damon told him. "His instinct is to kill vampires, including his sister."

"And how does he resist?" Enzo frowned.

"He's learned to attach his feelings to Bon Bon." Damon explained. "We supernaturally rewired his brain to find some detour instead of killing vampires. In other words he can be around us without wanting to kill us. But if he doesn't know you and he finds you a threat, he won't be so polite." he warned him.

"And what makes you think that I would be wanting to put my hands on Bonnie?" Enzo asked.

"Give me a break." Damon laughed. "You like her. And I think she likes you, although you can never be too sure with Bon Bon. But she's not tried to witchy migrain you just because you pissed her off by disagreeing with her. That's pretty much a sign in my book. Although I would have never imagined her going for a vampire. Seems a little odd." he frowned.

"Maybe it's because of my charm or even my accent." Enzo smiled as he turned to Leslie the waitress. "Do you think I've got a sexy accent?" he asked as she simply smiled and nodded back. "See." Enzo grinned. "I'm completely irresistible. No woman is immune to my charms."

"Elena?" Damon raised an eyebrow. "And I'm quite sure Blondie is, despite your best efforts." he said, when he suddenly had an idea. "But, maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a little practice at the club. Not with Bon Bon, she's off limits right now. But that doesn't mean you have to spend the evening alone. As long as you compel them to forget." he added.

"I doubt Bonnie would be very happy about that." Enzo sighed.

"So you admit it, you do like her." Damon smirked, realizing he'd finally gotten Enzo to admit to liking Bonnie.

"Fine, yes I like her." Enzo rolled his eyes. "I can't see what good me having sex with other women will do." he shook his head.

"On the contrary." Damon grinned. "You've been out of commission for decades." he said. "Granted, it's like riding a bike, but you want to make sure you're at the top of your game when the time comes. Practice makes perfect." he added.

"And is that what you were like when you met Elena?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

"Elena knows all about my past." Damon shrugged. "She witnessed some of it for over a year. She knew I had a healthy sex life, despite having no attachments. But it didn't put her off."

"Didn't she question trust?" Enzo frowned.

"Didn't need to." Damon told him. "When you're with your soulmate, it takes sex to a whole other level. Nobody else is worth the effort." he said. "Any other woman would be boring and wrong. Elena is the only one who has ever made me feel alive. Unlike me, she was fairly innocent when we first got together. But my experience helped us both. If Bon Bon gets pissed about it, I'll ask Elena to talk to her. Remind her you've been out of commission for nearly seventy years." he smirked.

"Thanks for reminding me." Enzo scowled.

"Blue balls doesn't cover it." Damon laughed. "Hey man, I went forty eight years of self-imposed celibacy for Katherine. It hurts like a bitch. Even worse when I found out it was for nothing." he sighed. "Sort it out now, before you and Bon Bon get a little closer."

"Fine." Enzo nodded before turning to Leslie. "Now answer honestly, would you like to have sex with me?" he compelled her to tell him the truth.

"Yes." she replied.

"Good. Come on then, that's if you want to." he smiled as he forced her to stand up.

"I didn't mean here and now." Damon scowled.

"It's as good a place to start." Enzo shrugged standing up. "I shouldn't be too long." he smiled before turning back to Leslie. "Now I think we should go somewhere a little more private don't you think?" he suggested as she giggled and led the way to a back room.

"Fuck!" Damon hit his head on the table in frustration.

"Which is exactly what I'll be doing." he heard Enzo reply in the distance followed by a door slamming shut.

Two hours later, Bonnie and Elena left the salon sporting brand new haircuts. Elena had left hers long but had new layers to add a lot more bounce and volume, while Bonnie had opted to do something drastic and had cut her hair much shorter into a bob, which Elena told her looked amazing. Next on the list was to shop for some new clothes and sexy underwear, which Bonnie was initially reluctant to buy with Damon's money, however Elena had made it clear, if Bonnie and Enzo were potentially going to be a couple, then Damon would want to make sure everything would be perfect for his friends.

Unfortunately shopping was cut short as Elena and Bonnie soon had to return back to Whitmore. They couldn't avoid studying forever, even though their supernatural abilities meant they didn't need to spend as much time with books as their peers. However, they also had another task, find out more about the mysterious bartender called Liv, who worked at the Skull Bar. It was a full moon that evening and they needed to know if she was a werewolf or not. Tyler had tried to compel her, but failed. If she wasn't a werewolf, they needed to know if she was either a witch of someone on vervain, which would suggest someone in the know.

Therefore once they returned from shopping in Richmond, Elena and Bonnie dropped their new purchases, courtesy of Damon, back at the Salvatore house. They picked up their study books and headed off to the Skull Bar in the hopes of discovering whether Liv was a werewolf, a witch or someone who knew about vampires who could potentially be spying on them. Damon had told her he had a theory, but he wanted to wait for more information before he told her anything else, only that not to worry about the full moon that night if his suspicions were correct.

Damon and Enzo were on their way back to the Salvatore house. Damon didn't want to be too far away if something were to happen with the girl from the Skull Bar, who Ric was convinced was one of the Gemini coven, sent to protect and keep an eye on Damon and Elena. Ric was joining Elena and Bonnie, just in case he was completely wrong and Liv turned out to be a werewolf. As Ric was unkillable, he could put himself in harms way if she attacked and protect the girls. However Damon was still a little uncomfortable about not being there. He'd wanted to swap places with Bonnie, but she'd insisted she might be able to get a magical vibe from Liv if indeed she was a witch. Therefore, once Enzo had finished having sex with Leslie, had compelled and fed her his blood, they set off back.

"Better?" Damon asked.

"Oh yes." Enzo smiled.

"As I said, it's like riding a bike." Damon smirked.

"But much more satisfying." Enzo agreed. "But I do agree about being a little rusty." he nodded.

"Word of advice. Women are a lot more clued up about sex these days, and they tend to know what they want." Damon told him. "Oral skills have become increasingly important." he winced, feeling a little uncomfortable discussing this with Enzo.

"I've already gathered that." Enzo nodded as they pulled into the driveway of the Salvatore house. "Leslie was a little more, demanding than I've been accustomed to in the past. Although I'm not complaining." he grinned.

"Well Bon Bon's not that experienced with men." Damon told him after they got out of the car and headed into the kitchen. "She only recently...you know." Damon stopped.

"Oh." Enzo nodded in understanding.

"But something crazy happened a few weeks ago, so her expectations might be set a little...higher." Damon winced, deciding to be honest.

"What do you mean." Enzo said slowly.

Damon took a deep breath. "When we first found out about the blood tie, and how to use the connection, we decided to do a little experiment." he told Enzo. "Bon Bon's incentive was to not have to see me or Elena having sex. But there was more to it. Anyway, she couldn't turn off all of the senses which tied us together. She felt everything." Damon winced.

"What do you mean felt everything?" Enzo asked.

"She was in Elena's shoes and felt everything we did." Damon explained. "Do I have to spell it out?" he asked.

Enzo was momentarily speechless. However he soon regained his composure. "So are you telling me that Bonnie has had some kind of simulated sex with you?" he frowned.

"Yes and no." Damon frowned. "Some psychic witchy thing happened and she had some sort of visions. And trust me, they had nothing to do with me." he shook his head. That's pretty much all I know."

"Are you sure it wasn't some psychological way of blocking the torment of having magical sex with you?" Enzo raised an eyebrow.

Deciding to be tactful Damon opted to agree with Enzo, even though he knew exactly what it meant. "Probably." he nodded as his phone beeped, signaling a text from Elena, which he opened and read.

"Well it looks like we've had an interesting development." Damon looked up at Enzo and smiled.

Bonnie and Elena arrived at the Skull Bar just after four. They were meeting Ric to find out what he knew about Liv. Damon had said Ric suspected something, but he needed clarification, and he wanted to see her in person to check they were talking about the same girl. The girls knew they'd be hanging around for about an hour before Ric arrived, which gave them time to get some work done for their Occult Studies class. They'd only taken the subject to support Ric. Their life was one long Occult Studies class, them being supernatural and all. So it was no surprise they were far ahead of the other students and only put in a tiny bit of effort in comparison.

When Elena and Bonnie arrived at the bar, Liv was already working, and Tyler was sat talking to her, although it appeared she was giving him the cold shoulder and not exactly listening. Although neither of them paid much attention to what was being said, it was clear Tyler was flirting with Liv, and possibly had the hots for her.

"This is not good." Bonnie shook her head. "We can't let Caroline come here if they're going to be flirting like that." she said.

"They?" Elena raised an eyebrow. "It looks a little one sided to me. If anything Tyler is making a complete ass of himself." she laughed.

"Caroline will be devastated." Bonnie whispered.

"Why?" Elena asked as she glanced over towards Tyler, to make sure he wasn't listening, before bending towards Bonnie. "I think Caroline has the hots for Stefan. Come to think of it, I think she's always had the hots for Stefan." she frowned. "There was this one time when Stefan and I broke up and she waned to know if it was likely to be permanent. It was just before she dated Matt." she said. "It was the night Damon attacked you."

"I remember that." Bonnie nodded. "We did the séance to contact Emily. Caroline and I had been on the outs about that stupid amber necklace." she laughed. "I think you're right, although she'd never admit it." Bonnie agreed.

"But she'd in denial." Elena said. "So should we be making her see this or keeping it away from her?" she asked.

"I guess it depends on whether Tyler is doing this to get even with Caroline, or whether he really does have a thing for Liv." Bonnie replied. "If it's real, then maybe she needs to know. It's not like she'll never find out." she shrugged.

"You mean find out how much an ass Tyler is making of himself right now?" Elena chuckled.

"That too." Bonnie grinned before her face fell. "Professor at four o'clock." she warned Elena as Ric walked over to them.

"You know he can hear you." Ric whispered.

"We know Professor Saltzman. But we were gossiping and didn't want to bore you with girls talk." Bonnie smiled.

"Fine, I'll go grab a drink." Ric nodded, heading over to the bar.

Elena decided to use her vampire hearing and listen in on their conversation to give her some clues as to whether this was the same Liv or not. Ric had to wait a minute while she was serving Tyler.

"Tyler." Ric nodded.

"Hey Ric. Hows it going?" he asked.

"Oh you know... busy." he shrugged.

"Hi Professor Saltzman. How can I help you?" Elena heard Liv ask.

"Hi Liv." Ric replied with a friendly voice. "I'll have a bourbon, neat." he replied.

"Sure." Liv said as Elena looked over and saw Liv pouring Ric's drink.

"So?" Bonnie asked. "Do you think that's her?"

Elena shrugged. "Liv knew who Ric was. But that's all I can get." she said as she saw Ric pay for his drink and wander over to another table instead of joining them. He took out his phone, when suddenly Elena received a text message from him. She opened it up and read it; however instead of reading it out loud, she showed the message on her phone to Bonnie:

_I have some information on Liv. Can't talk here. Need to go back to see Damon._

"I guess we need to drink up." Elena said as they gathered their jackets and books to head back home before she text Damon; _'Ric has some important information, we'll be back in ten minutes.'_

Exactly ten minutes later Elena and Bonnie arrived at the Salvatore house, closely followed by Ric. Stefan and Caroline were at the Augustine's where apparently all was so far going well, which left the five of them to talk about what Ric had learned. Once they were all inside, Damon poured everyone a drink and they gathered in the lounge. This was Enzo's first meeting relating to the prophesy and he was curious to know more about what was going on.

Ric was stood in front of the fireplace, which had a roaring fire, Bonnie and Enzo were sat in the leather reading chairs, while Damon and Elena had taken to the couch. As they waited for Ric to start his little speech, Damon was busy admiring Elena's hair and stroking it while Bonnie was making gagging sounds with Enzo.

"Is everyone ready?" Ric asked.

"Yes professor Saltzman." Damon, Elena and Bonnie called out at the same time, causing Ric to roll his eyes.

"So I'm sure most of you remember a few months ago when Stefan and I paid a visit to New Orleans to find out what we could about the Travelers." Ric started. "When we were there we were given some information about a coven of witches called the Gemini coven. Stefan came back to the safe house and I went to Portland in Oregan and paid the coven a visit." he told them. "While I was there I met the head of their coven, his name was Joshua Parker. He told me the coven would send someone to keep an eye on us just in case we needed their help. So other than the information I've been getting through Joshua himself, there was no hint of anyone from the coven." he said. "But when Damon alerted me to the possibility of one of the bartenders at the Skull Bar not being able to be compelled, it crossed my mind that working in a bar that you guys attend would be the perfect place to hide. Plus they'd need to know me, so enrolling in my class would also be a great way to keep up with what was happening with the prophesy." he explained.

"Is Liv definitely part of the Gemini coven?" Damon asked.

"Her full name is Liv Parker, and she's from Portland in Oregan, and she has a twin brother called Luke." Ric replied.

"What's the twin brother part got to do with anything?" Elena asked.

"Twins are the symbol of the astrological sign of Gemini." Damon told her.

"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked, sounding impressed.

"It's my astrological star sign." Damon sighed.

"You follow astrology?" Elena frowned.

"Actually no." Enzo interrupted. "They'd read stuff to us to get a response while we were in the cells. They tried to find out our birthdays by reading the horoscopes for the week. Neither of us blinked." he smirked.

"So you think she's part of the Gemini coven?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm ninety seven percent sure." Ric nodded.

"Why did you need to tell us here?" Elena asked.

"Because Tyler is a hybrid who seems to have the hots for Liv." Ric explained. "Her priority is to keep us all safe. I assume Luke is here for the same reason too. Now the Gemini coven have an interesting story regarding their twins. When they reach the age of twenty two they have to merge. One dies and the other becomes more powerful. They need this to keep the Travelers in check." he told them. "Luke and Liv are due to turn twenty two in just over a year's time. If they help defeat the Travelers and put down Silas, they won't need to merge and the eldest child will simply become the leader of their coven. Apparently this is really important as they're not the oldest set of twins. There was another set, but one of them was place in a prison world for murdering the rest of his family." he said.

"A twin murdered his siblings?" Enzo frowned. "I know sometimes brothers and sisters squabble, but isn't that a bit extreme?" he asked.

"Malachai Parker is a psychopath and wanted to take over the coven." Ric explained. "He's a siphon which meant his twin, who was the eldest, wouldn't stand a chance against him. He'd siphon her magic and use it against her in the merge."

"Is?" Damon asked. "As in still alive?" he frowned.

"He's locked in a prison world. Which is where the Travelers are trying to get into so they can get hold of another cure." Ric told them. "If they get inside the prison world, they could end up releasing him. Which is why you are even more of a priority for them than you were. If the merge is no longer required, he cannot become the head of the coven as he is technically not a witch. As a twin, he could."

"And you're only telling us this now because...?" Damon shook his head.

"I didn't think it was that important." Ric shrugged. "But the Gemini coven clearly think they need to send twins to help, so they must be expecting there to be problems." he said. "So we need to keep Tyler away from distracting her." because if everything goes wrong, he's going to get his heart broken."

"So Ric, do you have any good news?" Damon frowned.

Ric thought for a moment before smiling. "At least Liv's not a werewolf." he smirked.

  
  


 


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